Bou Inania Madrasa

The minaret of Madrasa Bou Inania seen through Bab Bou Jeloud

Court and minaret

The Madrasa Bou Inania (also Bu Inaniya) is a madrasa in Fes, Morocco, founded in AD 1351–56 by Abu Inan Faris, who also founded the Madrasa Bou Inania in Meknes. It is widely acknowledged as an excellent example of Marinid architecture.

The name "Bou Inania" comes from the first part of the sultan's name "Abou Inan". The madrasa functioned both as an educational institute and as a congregational mosque.

This is the only madrasa in Fes with a minaret. Opposite the main doorway of the madrasa is the entrance to the dar al-wudu (ablutions house). Left and right of the central court there are class rooms.

According to history, religious leaders of the Karaouine Mosque advised Abu Inan Faris to build this madrasa.^[1] It was the last madrasa to be built by the Marinids. The madrasa became one of the most important religious institutions of Fes and Morocco, and gained the status of Grand Mosque.

The madrasa was renovated in the 18th century. During the reign of Sultan Mulay Sliman, entire sections were reconstructed. In the 20th century, major restoration work was performed on the load-bearing structure, the plaster, wood and decorations.

The madrasa is one of the few religious places in Morocco that is accessible for non-Islamic visitors. Opposite the Madrasa Bou Inania is the Dar al-Magana, a wall with a hydraulic clock that was built in relation to the madrasa.

References

1. ^ Rough Guide to Morocco, ISBN 978-1-84353-861-5

Sources

• Hillenbrand, Robert. 1994. Islamic Architecture. New York: Columbia UP, 240-251.
• Hoag, John. 1987. Islamic Architecture. New York: Rizzoli, 57-59.
• Michell, George, ed. 1996. Architecture of the Islamic World. London: Thames & Hudson, 216.
• Mohammed Mezzine (ed.), Andalusian Morocco: A Discovery in Living Art, 99. [1]
• R. le Toureau, Fes in the Age of the Marinides, Oklahoma: Norman: 1961, pp. 120–7
• Blair, Sheila S. ; Bloom, Jonathan M. The art and architecture of Islam, 1250 - 1800. New Haven and London : Yale University Press, 1994. pp. 122 – 123.

External links

• Museum with no Frontiers [2] [3](retrieved November 12, 2008)
• The madrasa on archnet.org
• Patterns in Islamic art

Coordinates: 34°03′43″N 4°58′58″W / 34.06194°N 4.98278°W / 34.06194; -4.98278