The Ben Youssef Madrasa (; also transliterated as Bin Yusuf or Ibn Yusuf Madrasa) is an Islamic madrasa (college) in Marrakesh, Morocco. The madrasa is named after the adjacent Ben Youssef Mosque, and was commissioned in 1564–65 CE by the Saadian sultan Abdallah al-Ghalib. Functioning today as a historical site, the Ben Youssef Madrasa was the largest Islamic college in the Maghreb at its height, and is widely recognized as a pinnacle of Saadian and Moroccan architecture.
History
left|thumb|Courtyard of the madrasa in 1921
The madrasa is named after the adjacent Ben Youssef Mosque, which was originally the main mosque of the city, founded by the Almoravid Sultan Ali ibn Yusuf (r. 1106–1142 CE).
According to historical sources, in particular al-Ifrani, the first madrasa on this site was founded during the Marinid dynasty by Sultan Abu al-Hasan (r. 1331–1348). Historically, madrasas in the Maghreb served to train ulama (Islamic scholars) in Maliki Islamic law, jurisprudence (fiqh), and variant readings (Qira'at) of the Qur'an.
The Saadian dynasty, which enjoyed the status of sharifs (descendants of Muhammad), was less dependent on the construction of madrasas to sustain their legitimacy and the support of the ulama than their Marinid predecessors.
The Ben Youssef Madrasa was constructed by the Saadian sultan Abdallah al-Ghalib (r. 1557–1574 CE), a major builder of his period. Its construction probably began soon after he assumed power. It was completed in 1564–1565 CE (972 AH), as recorded by an inscription, following a style established during the earlier Marinid period.
Closed down in 1960, the building was refurbished and reopened to the public as a historical site in 1982. The Ben Youssef Madrasa currently attracts thousands of tourists every year and remains one of the most important historical buildings in Marrakesh.
Architecture
Layout
thumb|Floor plan of the madrasa (ground floor)
The madrasa's floor plan occupies a nearly square space measuring approximately 40 by 43 meters. Like many Islamic buildings, the courtyard is itself centered around a large, shallow reflective pool, measuring approximately 3 by 7 meters. In particular, the decorative arrangement follows the architectural traditions established in earlier Marinid madrasas: zellij tiling is used along lower walls, calligraphic friezes are generally present at eye-level, and the middle and upper areas of the walls are covered in stucco decoration before transitioning into wooden elements, including ornately carved eaves. The arches of the ground-floor galleries in the courtyard also have stucco consoles supporting carved wooden lintels that bridge the distances between each pier. Scholar Mariam Rosser-Owen has suggested that the basin was originally imported to Marrakesh by Ali Ibn Yusuf, who incorporated a number of marble spolia from the ruined palaces of Cordoba in the Ben Youssef Mosque that he built in the 12th century. The basin would have then been re-used again for the Ben Youssef Madrasa, which was built in the same area much later, after the mosque had fallen into neglect. In the 20th century, the basin was removed for study and was housed until recently at the Dar Si Said Museum.