Ben Youssef Madrassa
The Arabic word madrassa means school. The word has few implications beyond that of the English word “school.” However, recently in english this word has inaccurately been taken to mean a place of religious indoctrination, especially related to Islam.
During much of history many of these schools have been very important places and a great deal of effort and care has gone into the construction and decoration of these buildings. As in general islamic architecture a great deal of repeating geometric patterns (arabesque) are used.
One notably beautiful madrassa is the ben Youssef madrassa in Marrakech Morocco (pictured on the right). This school was named after the 12th century sultan Muhammad Bin Yousuf. This particular school did indeed become a theological college and was one of the largest in northern Africa. The school closed down in 1960 and was reopened to the public in 1982 as a historical building.