Located near the Great Mosque are two madrassas (religious schools). Opposite the mosque’s northern entrance is the Madrassa al-Nouriyat , which has distinctive black-and-white stonework and a beautiful inlaid mihrab, and is still in use today. Attached to the east side of the Grand Mosque is the Madrassa al-Qartawiyya , converted between 1316 and 1326 from the former St Mary’s church. Its elegant black-and-white facade and honeycomb-patterned half-dome above the portal are well worth a look.
