Volubilis, Morocco

As part of my study abroad program in Morocco we had a weekend morning excursion to the Roman ruins of Volubilis (or Wahlili which is the Arabic name).

These ruins are located about 20 miles (31 km) outside of Meknes (the city I live in) and the drive takes just under 45 minutes. In order to enter the site you will need to purchase a ticket. Our tickets were purchased by the program so I have no idea as to the cost of them. While you can wander around on your own, you can also get a guided tour of the ruins which is what we did.

It was just our luck that the day we went happened to be the hottest day of the semester so far (97 degrees). Unfortunately for us there is little to no shade in and around the Volubilis ruins. Due to this, we didn’t spend a very lengthy time walking around. We were luckily able to find shade near the small cafe and public restrooms at the entrance to the site.

History of the site (according to our guide)

The ruins, which used to be a Roman city, are situated about 120 kilometers away from the Atlantic Ocean. The altitude at this location is around 400 meters (1300 feet) above sea level.

Beginning in the 1st century AD, Volubilis began to grow under the control of the Roman Empire and eventually reached about 100 acres. The major buildings still partially intact at this site include Jupiter’s temple, the basilica, and the forum (market). These were all constructed sometime during the 2nd century. This outpost of the Roman Empire did not last long. In 285 AD it was taken by the surrounding peoples (the Berbers). At the beginning of the Roman rule the area had been forested but with increased dryness when they left there was little forest left.

In the day of the Roman forum, there were stalls selling pastries, fish, geese, fowl, wine, butcher meat. For each of these stalls a carved pictograph can be seen where they once stood. Along our jaunt through the Volubilis, we also saw the remnants of an olive oil press and a mill stone.

In 217 AD a stone arch, that originally had a bronze chariot atop it, was built for Emperor Caracalla with stone reliefs of both his face and his mother Julia’s on either side. According to our guide, this emperor’s mother was from Syria and his father was from Libya.

This ancient city was fed by a mountain (a hill to Alaskans) spring via aquaducts that ran through the city center to a fountain. Also included in this city was a spa which our tour guide told us stood for Salud (health)-Per (through)-Aqua (water).

Situated near the forum is the remnant part of a sun dial which our guide referred to as a “Roman Rolex.” 🙂

One of the most amazing aspects of this city is the mosaics that can be seen throughout Volubilis. There were mosaics that portrayed the stories of Ariadne and Theseus (with Cupid & Bacchus), the 12 labors of Hercules (my personal favorite), Diana with the nymphs and a peeping tom, and Medusa & the muses. This site is famous not only for its wonderful preservation of mosaics but also because it was also used to film parts of both movies “The Last Temptation of Christ” and “Gladiator.”

The current condition of the site is owed to not only earthquakes, but also because of the people who took stones from the site to other cities to use them for building.

Final Thoughts

This was a very neat place to visit in Morocco and definitely somewhere I would visit again! (Perhaps on cooler day though)

The gentleman coordinating this cultural excursion for the institute, I later found out, was the Vice President of the Morocco UNESCO World Heritage committee. He came with us to take photos of the mosaics as he is petitioning to have Volubilis made into a World Heritage Site.