Morocco and Andalucia contain some of the world’s most exquisitely detailed interior surfaces.
A single site can include equally jaw-dropping examples across completely different surface types – wood, plaster and tile in the pictured madrasa, in Marrakech.
Madrasa (also commonly transliterated into English as “madrassa” or “madrasah”. In Morocco it is usually transliterated as “medersa”) is the Arabic term for any educational institution, whether secular or religious.
Construction of Ben Youssef Madrasa was completed in 1564-65 CE; at its peak it was the largest madrasa in the entire Maghreb. (i.e. all of northwestern Africa)
It will be explored in future multi-image posts, as will an older, even more gloriously ornamented madrasa in Fez; those posts will include close views of individual details.