Built in 1325 by the Marinid sultan Abu Said, this intimate medersa sits just steps from the Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque in the heart of the Fes medina. Its small scale concentrates the decorative impact: the entire courtyard is a single jewel-box of zellige, carved plaster, and cedarwood. The fountain basin is a single block of onyx marble. Student cells on the upper floor look down through carved cedarwood screens onto the courtyard below. The name comes from the Attarine Souk — the spice and perfume market — that wraps around its entrance.
Sources
- Le Tourneau R. (1949) Fès avant le Protectorat