Out of nowhere, I stumbled into what to me seemed like a hidden gem. This is the Al-Attarine Madrasa, an Islamic school here in the medina of Fès. The madrasa is one of many islamic schools in the medina since Fès was known as a center of religious education. From the outside, it doesn’t look like much and you could easily miss this if you didn’t pay attention. The only reason why I saw this was because I saw a tourist enter the madrasa. I didn’t know that tourists are allowed in here which is one of the reasons why I don’t pay too much attention to them. I’m very glad I did. The At-Attarine Madrasa is a gem of a madrasa which dates back to the year 1323.
The structure doesn’t seem to be as old as the numbers may imply. You can see how much care was given to keep this structure preserved. These days, it is a tourist attraction albeit, a secret one. Looking at the photos you may not be that impressed with the madrasa since it looks like another run of the mill Islamic structure but a closer look at the features of the building would reveal a treasure trove of Islamic art.
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