Restored entrance
Carved decoration framing its doors.
Chris Martin — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Maureen from Buffalo, USA — CC BY 2.0 · Shawn Allen from San Francisco, CA, USA — CC BY 2.0 · Shawn Allen from San Francisco, CA, USA — CC BY 2.0 · R Prazeres — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Sahrij Madrasa is a fourteenth-century Marinid college in the Andalous quarter of Fes el Bali, beside the Andalusian Mosque, whose students it housed. Prince Abu al-Hasan, heir to his father, Sultan Abu Said Uthman II, commissioned it in 1321, and its foundation inscription dates its completion to 1323. It is named after the sahrij, the large rectangular basin that fills much of its courtyard. The inscription calls it al-Madrasa al-Kubra, the Great Madrasa, as it was larger than its contemporaries, and it reportedly cost 100,000 gold pieces. Its zellij is among the earliest in any Moroccan madrasa, set beneath carved stucco and cedar in a style shared with the Nasrid palaces of the Alhambra. Restored under the Saadians and in 1917–1924, it later decayed until the heritage agency ADER-Fès renovated it under a programme launched in 2013. It then passed to al-Qarawiyyin University, to lodge and teach its Moroccan calligraphy students in 26 rooms and two classrooms, and recent visitor guides report it closed to the public. From the lane you see the restored entrance, its doors framed by carved decoration; behind them lie the basin, the galleries and the prayer hall with its onyx foundation plaque. The madrasa stands on the medina's quieter east bank. Al-Qarawiyyin lies about 480 m west across the Fes River as the crow flies, the Chouara Tannery about 380 m north-west and Bab Ftouh about 480 m south-east. Pair a short stop with the Andalusian Mosque's minaret of 956 and its monumental north gate, of Almohad origin; only Muslims may enter the mosque.
Carved decoration framing its doors.
A monumental portal a few steps away.
The medina's quieter east bank.
Beside the Andalusian Mosque, Andalous quarter, Fes el Bali
Chouara TanneryThe largest and one of the oldest of the three tanneries of Fes, on the bank of 5 minutes walk4.0
Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque and UniversityOne of the oldest and most famous mosques of the Islamic world, founded by Fatim6 minutes walk4.5
Cherratine MadrasaCherratine Madrasa, a students' college in central Fes el Bali, was founded in 16 minutes walk
Al-Attarine MadrasaA small, exquisite madrasa built by the Marinid sultan Abu Said Uthman II betwee6 minutes walk4.4
Zawiya of Moulay Idris IIThe Zawiya of Moulay Idris II, in the heart of Fes el Bali, holds the tomb of Id7 minutes walkNot on an ordinary visit: it is a residence and school for al-Qarawiyyin students, and recent guides list it as closed to the public. The Al-Attarine Madrasa, built at almost the same time across the river, is open to visitors and shows the same Marinid craft of zellij, stucco and cedar.
Its smaller companion, commissioned by Abu al-Hasan in 1323 as al-Madrasa al-Sughra, the Lesser Madrasa; its later name refers to teaching the seven canonical readings of the Qur'an. In August 2008 thieves sawed off and stole its carved wooden beams and a marble fountain plaque, bringing down its upper gallery; restored with the Sahrij, it likewise now serves al-Qarawiyyin students rather than visitors.