MEDERSA, FORMER FRENCH-MUSLIM HIGH SCHOOL

The Tlemcen medersa was founded in 1850 by the French within the Sidi Boumediene mosque, at the same time as the Constantine and Médéa medersas. At the time, Tlemcen was an intellectual capital, home to a large number of literary figures, which is why it was chosen over Oran. The Koranic school was modeled on the medieval medersas: it was attached to a mosque and provided religious and legal instruction, solely in Arabic. From 1883, French teachers joined the teaching staff and French, mathematics, history and geography were added to the curriculum. In 1951, the Tlemcen medersa, like those in Constantine and Médéa, became a "lycée d'enseignement franco-musulman". Over the course of its existence, it moved several times before the building that would house it permanently from 1905 to 1960 was constructed. It was built in a neo-Moorish style inspired by the Great Mosque, and decorated with arabesques in earthenware mosaics. Classrooms are arranged around a beautiful marble-paved courtyard. Today, the building houses the Islamic Archaeological Museum of Tlemcen. Visit it to learn more about the city's history and heritage, highlighted by artefacts found during archaeological digs, a fine collection of ancient manuscripts and models of Tlemcen's buildings.