Ornate courtyard
Fountain, stucco arches.
Robert Prazeres — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Angela Schoettler († 2023) — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ideophagous — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ideophagous — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Holger Uwe Schmitt — CC BY-SA 4.0 · R Prazeres — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Elgaard — CC BY-SA 4.0 · tinman6 — CC BY-SA 2.0
A small, exquisite madrasa built by the Marinid sultan Abu Said Uthman II between 1323 and 1325, named after the neighbouring Attarine souk of spices and perfumes. It is considered one of the highest achievements of Marinid architecture for its rich, harmonious decoration and clever use of a tight space. The building wraps around an ornate inner courtyard with a marble fountain, ringed by slender columns carrying arches of carved stucco, with walls banded in coloured zellij and Arabic calligraphy and topped by cedar friezes. At its end is a small prayer hall with a decorated mihrab. On the upper floor are the small rooms where students lived, and from some windows, or the roof when it is open to visitors, you look over the green roofs of the neighbouring al-Qarawiyyin Mosque. Admission is about twenty dirhams, and it opens daily from about nine to six according to 2026 guides. It is a few steps from al-Qarawiyyin, so combine the two on one walk.
Fountain, stucco arches.
Bands of script.
A view from above.
Souk al-Attarine, near al-Qarawiyyin, Fes el Bali
Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque and UniversityOne of the oldest and most famous mosques of the Islamic world, founded by Fatim1 minute walk
Nejjarine Museum of Wooden ArtsA historic funduq, an inn for merchants and travellers, in the heart of Fes el B3 minutes walk
Chouara TanneryThe largest and one of the oldest of the three tanneries of Fes, on the bank of 3 minutes walk
Fes el Bali (Old Medina)The oldest part of Fes, founded by the Idrisids as their capital between 789 and5 minutes walk
Marinid TombsThe ruins of monumental tombs on a hill looking down on Fes el Bali from the nor9 minutes walkBou Inania is larger, with a minaret and water channel; Attarine is smaller and more finely decorated; both deserve a visit if you have time.