Medersa Bou Inania

Meknes


Opposite the Grande Mosquée, this religious school, completed in 1358, is typical of the exquisite Merinid interior design. Although it is not as lavish as its counterpart of the same name in Fez, it does display the classic zellige tile, delicate stucco and carved cedar-wood ceiling. You can explore the student rooms, the roof (nice views of the Grande Mosquée's minaret) and even the school's hammam (down a hall to the left, opposite the ticket desk).

Students aged eight to 10 years once lived two to a cell on the ground floor, while older students and teachers lived upstairs in the luxury of private rooms. On the right when you enter the main hall is the school room; its deep mihrab marks the direction of Mecca, but also provides natural amplification.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Meknes attractions

1. Dar Jamaï Museum

0.13 MILES

On the north side of Place El Hedim, this museum was under renovation at last visit, with a possible reopening in 2020. Built in 1882 by the powerful…

2. Place El Hedim

0.14 MILES

Cleared by Moulay Ismail so his populace could better admire Bab El Mansour, this square is the social heart of the medina, and it really livens up at…

3. Musée de Meknès

0.16 MILES

Housed in the peeling old tribunal building in the imperial city walls, this small museum is long overdue for a refresh, but while the larger Dar Jamaï…

4. Bab El Mansour

0.17 MILES

The focus of Place El Hedim is this huge gate, perhaps the grandest of all imperial Moroccan gateways. The gate is well preserved, if a bit dulled by soot…

5. Place Lalla Aouda

0.21 MILES

South of Bab El Mansour lies this public garden and car park that's a popular place with local families in the evening – less raucous than Place El Hedim,…

6. Lahboul Gardens

0.25 MILES

These gardens just outside the medina were being renovated on the last visit. When finished, they should be a tranquil place to stroll after a busy…

7. Koubbat As Sufara

0.29 MILES

Moulay Ismail's reception hall for foreign ambassadors is a lovely show of zellige (patterned tile) work. It's here that Unesco officially inscribed…

8. Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail

0.32 MILES

Closed since 2016 for a massive renovation, the final resting place of the sultan who made Meknes his capital in the 17th century is ordinarily a must-see…