Al Attarine Madrasa in Taza

Built between 1323 and 1325 under the orders of Sultan Abu Said, the Medersa Attarine is the most beautiful in Fez. The Medersa Attarine was one of the main schools of Quranic religion in which students could reside during their studies. As a large part of the courses took place in the Al Quaraouiyine mosque, most of the medersas (or madrasasof the city were located in its surroundings. This Attarine medersa, which is so called because of the district in which it is located, remained in use until the beginning of the 20th century, when the 60 students who lived in the 30 rooms had to abandon them permanently. The interior of the medersa The medersa extends around an interior courtyard in the middle of which stands an imposing marble fountain. At the end of the patio, a cedar wood dome with abundant ornaments covers the prayer room in which you can contemplate the mihrab indicating the direction of Mecca. The walls of the medersa are decorated with beautiful mosaics on which are inscribed phrases from the Koran. On the upper part of the walls, you can admire impressive floral motifs. The upper floors of the Medersa Attarine are occupied by the small rooms in which the young students spent their years of study.

A must-see in Fes, well worth the 20 dirhams.

Incredible architecture and decorations.

Nice historical place.

so fascinating Im glad i paid a visit to it

Great place to visit. A top monument of the City. A must see.

Is so beautiful

Can be a little hard to locate, the entrance is hidden in a small entry way surrounded by perfume and spice shops. There is an entry fee of 20DH which is used for the maintenance of this building. Its completely empty now but worth checking out the architecture, Arabic calligraphy carvings & the mosaic tiles of this 13th century school. The arches, the courtyard with a fountain, the classrooms which would also turn into the prayer hall. There are so many small rooms which are 2 stories on the second and third floor which once housed children from all around the surrounding cities. Some of those children would also become scholars of the school. We really enjoyed walking the different floors, imagining what it would have been like in its glory days.Tips:The stairs are a bit steep and some rooms darkPeek out the different windows in the rooms, you will see different views of the medinaRecommend you do your own research prior to coming if coming without a guide

La historia habla😍The al-Attarine madrasa was built between 1323 and 1325 on the orders of the Marinid sultan Abu Said Uthman II. The supervisor of construction was Sheikh Beni Abu Muhammad Abdallah ibn Qasim al-Mizwar. According to the Rawd el-Qirtas (historical chronicle), the sultan personally observed the laying of the madrasas foundations, in the company of local ulema.The creation of the madrasa, as with all Islamic religious and charitable institutions of the time, required the endowment of a habous, a charitable trust usually consisting of mortmain properties, which provided revenues to sustain the madrasas operations and upkeep, set up on the sultans directive. This provided for the madrasa to host an imam, muezzins, teachers, and accommodations for 50-60 students. Most of the students at this particular madrasa were from towns and cities in northwestern Morocco such as Tangier, Larache, and Ksar el-Kebir.The madrasa has been classified as historic heritage monument in Morocco since 1915. The madrasa has since been restored many times, but in a manner consistent with its original architectural style. Today it is open as a historic site and tourist attraction.

Old water clock ,still not working since a long time... a rumor said that a pregnant women lost his Kid from the noise of the clock and her husband destroyed the clock

Very beautiful place, the people working were also very nice

Best in old City

Really nice place to learn about how students live in Morocco in the past. It worth to spend your time walking through the different rooms. Also, try to get a view out of the windows.This experience is also fairly pricey with 20 DH entrance fee.Just be aware that most of the people trying to help you finding the Al Attarine will ask you for either money or bring you to their perfume shop.

Were always happy to go back for centuries !

A must visit. Beautiful. Open to non-Muslims, just make sure you respect the prayer times. The entrance is a bit off the Main Street, make sure you go around several times so you don’t miss it.It was one of my favorite sites to see in Fes.

Delicious salads and great service in a beautiful setting.

A very beautiful historical site that is worth visiting !

Such an amazing old school with hardly any crowds. Very reasonable 20dhm fee considering everything else in Morocco seems to have gone up in price.

Among the historic places of fes to visit

20 Dirham to enter per person at this very old madrasa. Upon entering you can look at the typical architectural features of Moroccan medrasas. Unique to this one is that you can walk upstairs and see where imams prayed and learned. Dont miss it as it also offers good views overlooking the inner area.

A well preserved school. The best place for some nice photoshoots.

Definitely worth to visit, enterance is not free but small budget. I recommend go there early for taking pictures otherwise tourist tours start to come and crowded for taking Instagramable pictures. Built in 1325 and hardworking, good grade students could stay alone upper floors.

Historical place and just beautiful.Well maintained and honoured to visit this beautiful place.If you are on visit to Morocco, advise you to visit, so peaceful and remarkable location.

14th century Al-Attarine madrasa is probably the most beautiful place in old city of Fes, at least from what i was till today. It was my second time in Fes, but this place visited for the first time.The traditional wooden artwork is beautiful, but specially ceramic tiles, zelij (zeligeis stunning. Also stone and plaster carving is a amazing piece of art. Its hard to understand how 700 years ago people did such an amazing artwork!Its definitely place to visit, entrance is 20 DH.

Has a lot of history of students who came to study and also how this place works. Good to have a guide to explain.

It’s worth going for beautiful pictures.It’s a bit hard to find but google map helps.

Beautiful 13 the century Madrasa loads of history and loved the tile work so detail and beautiful... and the concept of hostel was too good must see place

Amazing example of masterful craftsmanship :)

Worth paying to visit and explore around. Going upstairs was like visiting an old house full of stories.

Beautiful architecture and a welcome relief from the hustle of the souk outside. To avoid similar confusion to us, you are first shown into the courtyard, and then allowed upstairs to look around the former residence. There is no information given either to read or verbally, so might be worth researching a little more yourself!

What a beautiful thing, and to think it was accomplished 1600 years ago.

A great place to visit as Fes is considered Moroccos premier religious city by virtue of its Islamic traditions. It is also called the Western Mecca. Hundreds of mosques, musolla and madrasah in this ancient city.

Just amazingly beutiful palace with mosque attached in medina of Fez

Interesting space and history, if you hire a day guide they’ll take you here and tell you about it. It will cost I believe around $5usd per person to enter. Probably not worth it, but still interesting to hear the stories. You can grab better pictures later for free in other places of the Médina, but given you likely go here on your first day with a guide you will feel like it’s worth it for at least a minute, just trust me, you can do better.Fes is an amazing place to visit, full of intrigue and life- don’t waste on pay for photo stops.

This Madrasa is worth the money to visit!It has two floors and you get to see both of them.

Very neat example of Moroccan Muslim Architecture. Beautiful place with lots of ornate wall reliefs. Well worth the 20MAD entry fee.

Cool and cheap. Quite small but interesting. Really good guides that can generally speak every language. Dont expect a gigantic super exciting place cause it isnt, but still its worth the visit (I believe it was 2€ only when I visit, which is fair enough for the size of the place).

Beautiful site, just one courtyard but well worth it

The most historical site in Fez.

Please visit this place with experienced guide, you will see much more!

It was closed when we tried to get in at 12:30. Not hard to find even without a guide, we just used Google maps.

Amazing historical Masjid

A wealth of small details. Go early, try to avoid the crowds (although almost impossible). The courtyard is good but head upstairs, and then upstairs again. Enjoy the small study rooms. Details details details. Peek out windows, hunt down decent light, stay put, watch the light change. Floors, walls, doors, ceilings — every surface has something to enjoy. A building built of love and care and deep affection.

Great secret place in the Centre of Médina. Entry fee is closely 2€/person but definitely worth to see especially when you are alone. You can also go to a first floor and enjoy the view from there. If you want to see more from my adventures and also more tips for Fès, go to my Instagram @felixgerlach

Beautiful piece of history found in the heart of the Medina, its a must see for those visiting Fes. The sites light on the literature explaining the history, so a little research before hand will help you appreciate it more.

Entrance 20 dirhams/person. You can visit the central courtyard decorated with coloured glazed tiles and cedar wood carvings. Dont miss the upper floors, included in the entrance. You can go up the stairs in the entrance and get very nice views over the glazed green roofs around.

Very nice good renovation beautifull walls

This marvel of architecture and a well of rich culture is an icon of Fes. This is basically an academic institute for Islamic education. So, the classrooms and the library are restricted for the visitors.

Beautifully kept school of religious learning, boasting traditional zellij tile work and amazing handcrafted columns and fretwork. Entrance is 20dh (less than £2and well worth a visit. It is located between the Qarawiyyine complex and the zawiya of Sidi Ahmad Tijani.

Nice building but absolutely empty. You can find better places for 20dh in the fes.