Mesbahiyya Madrasa


Mesbahiyya Madrasa is a madrasa in Fes el Bali, the old medina quarter in the city of Fez, Morocco. The madrasa was completed in 1346, during the Marinid period, under the patronage of the sultan Abu al-Hasan who was a prolific constructor of madrasas in the city. It is located close to the University of Al Quaraouiyine.

Description

The madrasa owes its name to the faqih Al-Mesbahi, the first faqih who taught in the madrasa. It is distinguishable from the white marble of the wall, which was brought by Abu al-Hassan from the Spanish city of Almeria. The extensive use of the marble made the madrasa nicknamed as "school of marble". It consisted of a ground floor and the three floors, but the latter was already destroyed completely. The madrasa does not contain mihrab but it has a square shaped prayer hall. The large entrance overlooks the northern facade of the sahn, which has unique compositions compared with the other Marinid architectures in Fez. The madrasa had around 140 students from across the country, distributed to the rooms on the ground and second floor. It also had a facility for healthcare. Today, the madrasa is facing the severe damage and collapse due to the lack of maintenance and the restoration attempt by the laypersons. Dome of the prayer room, the ceiling of the ablution room and some other rooms were destroyed, and the iconic marbles have also been deteriorated. However, it still retains the valuable elements of Marinid motifs and original forms of floral and geometric decorations, and currently undergoing the restoration initiated in the early 1990s.