The Quranic School Ben Youssef ( Madrassa )

In 1564-65, Sultan saâdien Abdellah Al Ghalib finished building the finest medersas of Morocco. Indeed, whereas before, some authors have attributed to its construction Mérinides Currently, its attribution to Saâdiens no longer suffers any doubt, especially in the presence of six inscriptions which corroborate. The most representative of these inscriptions is that qu'arbore the wooden lintel above the door. Translated, it relates the following: "I was built for science and prayer by the prince of believers, the descendant of the seal of the prophets Abdellah, the glorious creatures. Pray for him, O you who crossed my door, so that its expectations are the highest carried out. " From its location in the district Ben Youssef, steeped in history and primitive core of the Marrakech medina, the medersa immediately takes its full meaning. His contiguity of the mosque built by the Almoravid Almoravid Ali Ben Youssef and taken over by Al Ghalib, gave him the name it bears to this day. By building the medersa, restoring the mosque Almoravid and constructing a maristan (hospital), the sultan has breathed new life to the Ben Youssef district, fell into oblivion after the decline of Almoravid dynasty. With his plan, which affects a quadrilateral with an area of 1680 square metres, with its 130 rooms, a large patio and its prayer room, the medersa was during more than four centuries a crucible of scholarship and home for students a thirst for knowledge in various sciences, including theology. But unlike the medersa mérinides, medersa Ben Youssef displays no registration can enlighten us on his income, the laws which govern and conditions for admitting students. Indeed, according to the fatwa of Al Abdousi, preacher at Fez in the fourteenth century, we learn that: "Can not live in the medersa than that reached twenty years and above, which is devoted to the study of science or teaching to the extent of its competence, who is attending the reading hizb morning and evening, and also during the teacher of the Koran that medersa, a diligent manner, except for cause of failure, such that disease or other similar excuse for his absence. If this student has lived in the medersa for ten years without good skills will be revealed, it will be expelled from authority because it is detrimental to habous. On the other hand, those who lives legitimately medersa there can store only to the extent of its provisions, as usual on habous. " A true reflection of the magnificence of art saâdien, medersa Ben Youssef draws its strength from an architecture of great consistency. Before joining the building can be found below a dome to mouqarnas (stalactites) in plaster of the width of the alley. Carrier two inscriptions and rich in color, she overcomes a great door entirely covered with plaques engraved bronze. This luxurious predisposes already the splendour of the visitor inside the monument. Interior which is accessed by a long corridor high ceilings, broken up and lit by skylights. Once through this corridor leads to a vestibule where you can win various parts of the building. The south side is occupied by a door in moucharabieh which gives access to the court and lining up in the axis symmetrical the mihrab. Like the other medersa of Morocco, the medersa Ben Youssef revolves around a central volume consists of the main patio qu'égaye a pool with two water jets bronze. Its two wings, east and west, are longées two galleries whose support the ceilings of rooms upstairs. The middle part of the southern facade is occupied by a large door, bordered on each side of two small doors that overlook the prayer hall. It is partitioned into three naves by two rows of marble columns. The two side halls offer wooden cupboards were probably office library. The nave axial hosting the mihrab displays a sumptuous decor and brings together all the elements that constitute the wealth of the monument: marble, wood and plaster on the grounds polychrome. The mihrab, a niche pentagonal, offers an opening arc full hanger, supported by four marble columns. It is covered with a coupolette to mouqarnas plaster. One of the particularities of the medersa Ben Youssef is the presence of two corridors that surround the central court and serving seven-yard where open cells ground floor. One yard of the west corridor is made up of ablution rooms that revolve around a quadrangular basin that oversees a magnificent dome to mouqarnas plaster. The ensemble is supported by four marble columns. The floor is accessible through two stairs face and taking their departure in the vestibule. While upstairs includes a multitude of mazes and corridors, but in general it takes in terms of ground-floor, with the addition of rooms that overlook the courtyard. These rooms are by far the most spacious and most comfortable and include some sort of loft. The terrace perfectly reproduced roofs of courtyards and openings skylights and large patio. It is, indeed, made up of a donkey in green tiles and square openings that provide ventilation and lighting in corridors of the floor and ground floor. The diversity of its scenery, its colors and its materials are of the medersa Ben Youssef an original architectural work. Indeed, it is the effigy of all themes of the decorative art of Morocco at the time. The cedar wood from the Atlas is present everywhere and is passed through magnificent domes of the vestibule and the prayer room in the ceilings of corridors and the level of friezes and awnings on the main courtyard. The Carrara marble shipped to Italy, was also used to decorate the medersa. Also, two plaques carved feet took the rights to the door of the prayer room, plus four columns in the same room, in the mihrab and the ablution room. The plaster, when it took the place of choice in the decoration of the medersa. Indeed, large panels of carved plaster facades cover the patio and the prayer hall. The zellig various colors and geometric shapes and different techniques dresses low walls and pillars. the ground is lined with marble carrare in the main courtyard, dass in the prayer room and the bedrooms and zellig tiles in the corridors, stairways and small courtyards. Faced with such a profusion of decorations and materials décoration far from a minimalist, one is struck by the harmony of tone and consistency of architecture, which perpetuate the art history of Morocco and that leave people indifferent

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En 1564-65, le sultan saâdien Abdellah Al Ghalib acheva de construire l'une des plus somptueuses médersas du Maroc. En effet, alors qu'auparavant, certains auteurs ont attribué son édification aux Mérinides, actuellement, son attribution aux Saâdiens ne souffre plus d’aucun doute, surtout en présence de six inscriptions qui la corroborent. La plus représentative de ces inscriptions est celle qu'arbore le linteau en bois au-dessus de la porte d'entrée. Traduite, elle rapporte ce qui suit :
" J'ai été édifié pour la science et la prière par le prince des croyants, le descendant du sceau des prophètes Abdellah, le glorieux des créatures. Prie pour lui, ô toi qui franchis ma porte, afin que ses espérances les plus hautes soient réalisées."
De sa situation géographique dans le quartier Ben Youssef, chargé d'histoire et noyau primitif de la médina de Marrakech, la médersa prend d'emblée tout son sens. Sa contiguïté de la mosquée almoravide érigée par l’almoravide Ali Ben Youssef et reprise par Al Ghalib, lui a donné le nom qu'elle porte jusqu'à nos jours. En construisant la médersa, en restaurant la mosquée almoravide et en édifiant un maristan (hôpital), ce sultan a redonné vie au quartier Ben Youssef, tombé dans l'oubli après le déclin de la dynastie almoravide.
Avec son plan, qui affecte un quadrilatère d'une superficie de 1680 m², avec ses 130 chambres, son grand patio et sa salle de prière, la médersa fut durant plus de quatre siècles un creuset d'érudition et d'accueil pour les étudiants en soif de connaissances dans diverses sciences, notamment en théologie. Or, contrairement aux médersa mérinides, la médersa Ben Youssef n'affiche aucune inscription pouvant nous éclairer sur ses revenus, les lois qui la régissaient et les conditions d'admission des étudiants.