[Dec. 2025] The last stop on our guided walking tour in Marrakesh, Morocco, was the Ben Youssuf Madrasa, a former religious school.
Entry cost 50 dirhams (approximately 4.70 euros).
Founded in the mid-16th century and operating until 1960, this school was where everyone studied to become an imam.
At one point, it reportedly had around 900 students.
There wasn’t a qualification exam to become an imam; rather, students deemed worthy by the imam (the teacher) were dispatched to mosques throughout the country.
We were told that it’s now incorporated as a department within a university.
Similar to what we saw in Fes, it was a boarding school, and the first floor was lined with the small rooms where students lived.
It was a beautiful building with tiled walls and sculptures, but it was overflowing with tourists, making it extremely difficult to take photos without people in them.
After a thorough sightseeing tour, it was time for lunch.
Our guide, Youssuf, took us to a restaurant he recommended.
I didn’t see the restaurant’s name, but it was a place where they cooked on the lower floor and ate on a rooftop room with a great view.
This was Mechoui Agneau, a specialty lamb restaurant.
Apparently, they cook the whole lamb by burying it in the ground.
Youssuf secured a table for us in this restaurant which was crowded with tourists before leaving.
Just like in Fes, we were very satisfied with his guidance, so we gave him a 200 dirham tip.
He seemed quite pleased, so I guess it was a good amount.
Now, regarding this lamb dish, apparently the classic way to eat it is with salt and cumin.
However, the taste was rather bland, and I felt it needed some kind of sauce.
Lamb is generally one of my favourite foods, but…
The dessert we had here was a great surprise, though.
It was a pastry called Jawhara, similar to a mille-faulie, with plenty of cream.
The pastry was crispy and very tasty.
The meal here was expensive at 427.50 dirhams (approximately 40 euros) for two people, but the dessert was a pleasant surprise, so it was worth it.
Since it was a late lunch, when we passed through Fnaa Square on our way back, the food stalls had already started setting up.
