[2] Travelers and caravans that arrived to Salé late in the day, after the city gates were locked, could be accommodated here.

It featured an inscription which was documented prior to the portal's collapse and noted the building's foundation by Abu Inan and its completion in 1956.

[1] The building's layout bears many resemblances to the earlier zawiya that Abu Inan built at Chellah, not far from here, suggesting that it the latter may have served as a model for this one.

From the vestibule were also passages that led to a mida'a (Arabic: ميضأة; "ablutions facility") to the north and living quarters to the south that likely belonged to the sheikh of the institution.

[4] The main courtyard was centered around a large rectangular water basin, flanked by a circular fountain at either end, and surrounded by galleries that led to other rooms, possibly used for teaching and meetings.

[4][2] The floors and lower walls of the courtyard were decorated with zellij tilework, which Jacques Meunié documented during 20th-century excavations.

Meunié also found sparse fragments of carved stucco, which suggest that the rest of the building also featured this type decoration, as in other Marinid madrasas.