Editing Marrakesh (section)

===Ben Youssef Madrasa===
[[File:Marrakesh, Ben Youssef Medersa (5364691987).jpg|thumb|The courtyard of the [[Ben Youssef Madrasa]]]]
The [[Ben Youssef Madrasa]], north of the Medina, was an [[Islam]]ic [[college]] in Marrakesh named after the Almoravid sultan Ali ibn Yusuf (1106–1142) who expanded the city and its influence considerably. It is the largest madrasa in all of Morocco and was one of the largest theological colleges in [[North Africa]], at one time housing as many as 900 students.{{sfn|Lehmann|Henss|Szerelmy|2009|p=299}}

This education complex specialized in Quranic law and was linked to similar institutions in [[Fez, Morocco|Fez]], [[Taza]], [[Salé]], and [[Meknes]].{{sfn|Rogerson|2000|pp=100–102}} The [[Madrasa]] was constructed by the [[Saadi Dynasty|Saadian]] Sultan [[Abdallah al-Ghalib]] (1557–1574) in 1564 as the largest and most prestigious madrasa in Morocco.{{sfn|Rogerson|2000|pp=100–102}} The construction ordered by Abdallah al-Ghalib was completed in 1565, as attested by the inscription in the prayer room.{{sfn|Cheurfi|2007|p=740}} Its 130 student dormitory cells cluster around a courtyard richly carved in [[cedrus|cedar]], [[marble]] and [[stucco]]. In accordance with Islam, the carvings contain no representation of humans or animals, consisting entirely of inscriptions and geometric patterns. One of the school's best known teachers was [[Mohammed al-Ifrani]] (1670–1745). After a temporary closure beginning in 1960, the building was refurbished and reopened to the public as a historical site in 1982.{{sfn|Michelin|2001|p=363}}