Medersa Ben Youssef

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Medersa Ben Youssef, inner courtyard
Medersa Ben Youssef, prayer room

The Medersa Ben Youssef is a former Koran school ( madrasa ) in the heart of the medina in the Moroccan city ​​of Marrakech .

location

The Medersa Ben Youssef is located a few meters north of the souq district in the immediate vicinity of the Ben Youssef mosque . A short distance away are the Musée de Marrakech and the Koubba of the Almoravids .

history

The medersa was probably founded around 1340 by the Merinid sultan Abu l-Hasan (ruled 1331-1351). However, large parts of its interior décor only date from the time of the Saadian dynasty residing in Marrakech (around 1570). In 1960 teaching was stopped and the building opened to the public as a museum; a thorough restoration took place in 1999.

architecture

An elongate passage in the fully windowless outwardly construction leads to a MASHRABIYA -Doppeltür with turned geometric patterns and an arc-shaped attachment with serrated battlements decor . Behind it, the large, marble-lined inner courtyard of the medersa opens up with a large fountain basin; The latter served - in addition to its cooling function - also the "small ablution" ( wuḍūʾ ) prescribed by the Koran in Sura 6, Verse 6 before visiting the attached mosque. The lower zone of the pillars and walls are decorated with tile mosaics , which also ensured that the masonry was protected from splashing water during the rare but sometimes heavy rains. The middle level shows varied stucco ornaments and is visually loosened up in some places by dark brown, carved cedar beams, which form the final decoration of the eaves area.

The architectural highlight of the Medersa is the extremely richly designed prayer room with the Qibla wall and the entrance to a small room in front of the, which is covered by a horseshoe arch with alfiz framing , with no colored motifs, which could also have disappeared over time Mihrab niche, the orientation of which, however, differs significantly from that of the neighboring Ben Youssef mosque. Here you can find the arabesques and calligraphic inscription ribbons so typical of the Moorish style ; to the side or above it are diamond motifs ( sebka ) as well as extremely finely crafted stucco grids. The prayer room closes at the top in an octagonal artesonado ceiling with star motifs. The mihrab niche itself has no decoration in the lower part; Above it are varied stucco panels and an octagonal muqarnas dome with green flowers.

On the upper floor of the medersa, which is loosened up by several atriums, are the small and completely unadorned sleeping chambers of the students, where they sometimes also prepare their meals. The reading of religious scriptures, or rather the memorization of the Koran, took place in the presence of teachers in the side corridors of the courtyard, shaded by hanging mats.

  • Entrance portal (from inside)

  • Mihrab niche

  • Dome of the mihrab niche

  • Atrium and student room

  • Utensils of a Koran student

  • Side door

literature

  • Arnold Betten: Morocco. Antiquity, Berber Traditions and Islam - History, Art and Culture in the Maghreb. DuMont, Ostfildern 2012, ISBN 978-3-7701-3935-4 , p. 270ff.

Web links

Commons : Madrasa Ben Youssef  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 31 ° 37'55 "  N , 7 ° 59'10"  W.