Description

The Madrasah Palace (Madraza) is located in a highly exceptional setting within the historic area of the city, opposite the Royal Chapel. 

The very first institution in the city devoted to higher studies, the Yusufiyya Madraza was founded in 1349 by Yusuf I, Sultan of Granada, a short distance from the main mosque and the Alcaicería (silk market). This Islamic ‘university’ offered studies in theology, jurisprudence, medicine, and mathematics. 

Among its scholars, of particular note were Ibn al-Fajjar, Ibn Lubb, Ibn Marzuq, al-Maqqari, and Ibn al-Jatib.

Such buildings typically followed a common structure, based on a central courtyard with a central pond, surrounded by several naves, which housed the students’ living quarters, a large study hall, and a prayer room. 

In 1499, Cardinal Cisneros removed the contents of the Madraza library, to have them destroyed in a public burning in Bib-Rambla Square. Just one year later, the Catholic Monarchs gave the building over for use by the municipal authorities (City Council).

As a result of this change of use, an adjoining building was added, where the Sala de Caballeros XXIV (meeting room) was located.

Today, only a part of the prayer room remains in situ, along with some of the marble slabs from the entrance, which can now be found in the city’s Archaeological Museum.

Over the centuries, numerous alterations have been made, perhaps the most striking of which is the design of the current façade, which was added in the 18th C.

Throughout the 19th C., the building was, at various points, privately owned, but in 1922 it was declared a national Asset of Cultural Interest. Since the mid-20th C., it has been used by the University of Granada. 

In the past decade, an extensive process of refurbishment has been carried out to ensure the building’s safekeeping and maximise its potential. This refurbishment was conducted only after an exhaustive archaeological survey to document its history.