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Bucket list experience:

Last updated: 07 November, 2022
Expert travel writer: Mandy Sinclair

This splendid former medersa (a Koranic school where students memorise the Koran) was founded by the Merenid Sultan Abou el Hassan in the 14th century. However, it was under the Saadian rulers in the 1560s that the school was renovated to the extraordinary level that visitors can marvel at today.  

The Andalusian architectural details, such as the stucco plasterwork featuring Arabic inscriptions and the colourful mosaics, are wonderfully preserved and worth taking time to appreciate. 

Recommended itineraries by our writers that include this experience

Price from: £4
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 18+
When: All year around

Getting there & doing it

While the merdersa can be visited independently (like most of Marrakech’s sites), you’ll get more out of the experience with some commentary on the site. If you do wish to use a guide, you’ll find them waiting outside the gate, all with a more than adequate knowledge. 

When to do it

It’s open all year round, seven days a week. No matter what time of year you visit, avoid the crowded middle of the day. 

Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first

Le Farnatchi

Marrakech, Marrakech-Safi, Morocco[0.1 miles]

A chic, elegant riad hotel set across seven houses, creating a wonderful sense of space inside the busy medina. It’s also home to a very good spa.

Official star rating:

Riad Palais Blanc

Marrakech, Marrakech-Safi, Morocco[0.5 miles]

Moroccan design and Italian style combine at this elegant hotel, housed in a former manor house with a full-sized pool and chic restaurant.

Official star rating:

Riad de Tarabel

Marrakech, Marrakech-Safi, Morocco[0.5 miles]

A classy, colonial-style boutique hotel with an exquisite spa, set in the atmospheric Dar El Bacha quarter of the medina.

Official star rating:

Riad Yasmine

Marrakech, Marrakech-Safi, Morocco[0.5 miles]

Trendy riad in the Bab Taghzout quarter of the medina with a stylish rooftop terrace and picture-perfect plunge pool.

Official star rating:

Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first

Souks of the Medina

Marrakech, Marrakech-Safi, Morocco[0.7 miles]

The world’s quintessential Arabic bazaar, the Medina’s maze-like souks are a shopper’s paradise.

Best for ages: 13+ | Free

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Overview >

Jemaa El Fna

Marrakech, Marrakech-Safi, Morocco[0.8 miles]

UNESCO World Heritage-listed central square that hums with snake charmers, musicians, magicians and other exotics.

Best for ages: 6+ | Free

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Hot-air balloon flights over Marrakech

Marrakech, Marrakech-Safi, Morocco[1.1 miles]

Float high over dramatic, arid landscapes and look down into traditional Berber villages – a unique and thought-provoking perspective on a spectacular landscape.

Best for ages: 10+ | £150 | 5+ hours

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Other worthwhile experiences near this experience if you have time or interest..

View of Marrakech on a clear day from rooftop cafe
Experience

Rooftop cafe of Photography Museum

Marrakech, Marrakech-Safi, Morocco[0.2 miles]

A high terrace provides panoramic views of the medina, including the Atlas Mountains in winter months. Time a visit with when the muezzins call the prayer from the surrounding mosques for additional Arabian atmosphere.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free

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Overview >
Tiled interior courtyard of a riad (traditional Moroccan home) with plants and a fountain
Experience

Photography Museum

Marrakech, Marrakech-Safi, Morocco[0.2 miles]

Tranquil Medina riad housing an interesting collection of photographs documenting Moroccan life from the 1870s-1950s, that gives the best insight into life in the city before tourism arrived.

Best for ages: 18+ | £4

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Fez-wearing cafe worker in front of wall covered in tin jars
Experience

Bacha Cafe

Marrakech, Marrakech-Safi, Morocco[0.6 miles]

Nestled inside the Dar el Bacha palace, Bacha Cafe is elegance at its finest. Coffee recommendations are suggested based on time of day, and are best accompanied by a treat from the cake counter.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free

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Interior of ornately-tiled museum with Moroccan carpets on display
Experience

Dar Si Said Museum

Marrakech, Marrakech-Safi, Morocco[1.1 miles]

An impressive 19th-century palace with intricate Byzantine designs, Dar Si Said is home to a huge collection of artworks, instruments, arms and some of the oldest artifacts in the city.

Best for ages: 18+ | £3

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