Medersa Ben Youssef and the Marrakech Museum

After an abortive trip to the Palmeraie (Marrakech's oasis, outside of the Ville Nouvelle) to go horseback riding, we ended up at the Medersa Ben Youssef just as it was opening. We were treated to a moment of peace and absolute silence which made it easy to imagine its former life as a sanctuary for meditation and study. The Medersa (usually madrassa in English, or Koranic school) was built in the 16th century and was in use until the 1960s. It was the largest medersa in Morocco.





We also visited the Marrakech Museum, another spectacular, mostly empty space. While the sparse exhibits were interesting, we appreciated the beautiful atmosphere created by the oud music playing and the mosaic designs.