[5] One historical chronicle claims that the mosque's construction was funded in part by olive oil production in Meknes and that labour was provided by Christian prisoners captured in al-Andalus (Spain).

[1]: 69 [7]: 114  Sultan Abu Inan is believed to have been buried in a tomb adjoining the mosque upon his death in 1358, although this is not fully confirmed.

[9] A foundation inscription in the mosque, carved in stone also records that it was "completed" by Sultan Abu Faris Abd al-Aziz II in 1395.

[9] The building's floor plan is very regular, which suggests it was not significantly altered or rebuilt, and that its construction was not interrupted and then completed at a later date.

[3][4] The layout includes a vast hypostyle interior prayer space and a large rectangular courtyard (sahn) occupying most of the northern part of the building.

The mosque's main entrance is to the north, aligned with the mihrab (see below) at the opposite end of the building and leading into the courtyard.

[3][2][9] However, it seems likely that in this case the second gate was designed to give direct access to a walled-in gallery section in the northeastern corner of the courtyard which was reserved for women coming to pray.

[3] The main courtyard (sahn) occupied roughly the northern half of the mosque, measuring 24 by 18.6 meters.

[9] The arch itself is occupied by an ornate wooden screen known as an anaza; an outdoor or "summer" mihrab for those prayers taking place in the courtyard.

[10][3] The anaza has two doors, between which, in the middle, is a decorative composition with a mihrab shape containing a carved inscription in Arabic calligraphy.

[9] By comparison, the inner archway of the central northern gate into the courtyard (directly opposite the anaza), has stucco decoration which seems to preserve more of a Marinid style.

[9] Like other standard Moroccan mosques, the prayer hall is a vast interior hypostyle space split only by rows of arches running perpendicular to the southern wall, except for an extra row of arches running close to the southern wall and parallel to it.

[9] The square space is covered by an ornate wooden cupola carved with geometric patterns and outlined with more muqarnas.

When it was observed by Alfred Bel in 1917, it still retained some of its former painted colours in blue and red, but it has since been heavily coated with whitewash, which obscures some of its craftsmanship.

[3] The tombs in this area are carved with Qur'anic verses but some of them do not have any other identifying inscriptions, which has made it difficult to confirm the individuals buried here.

In particular, one of the tombs (possibly in the walled-up chamber under the library) is assumed to belong to Sultan Abu Inan, the Marinid ruler who also built the Bou Inania Madrasa in Fes el-Bali (among other works) and died in 1358, but no inscription confirms this.

[2][3][8][11] The circumstances of Abu Inan's assassination, his rapid burial, and the palace coup that followed, may explain why his tombstone was never inscribed.

[11] Among the other individuals buried here is a princess named Aisha, daughter of Sultan Abu Faris Abd al-Aziz II, whose tombstone is now held at the Batha Museum.

[3] At the top of the main shaft is a wide band of mosaic tilework (zellij) with geometric patterns of radiating, almost circular, stars.

Above this, crowning the top of the main shaft, are saw-toothed merlons (also typical of Moroccan architecture) whose surfaces are also covered in mosaic tilework.

[3] Seen from the courtyard, this chamber is marked by a double-arched window, with an alabaster column between the arches, overshadowed by a carved wooden awning.