Volubilis Roman Site in Morocco
The chaos of Fez has gone as we drive the toll road towards the city of Meknes. Before taking a look we decide to take a detour, passing the rather pleasant looking outskirts surrounding Meknes. We’re heading towards rolling green countryside arriving 25 minutes later at the Volubilis Roman Site in Morocco.
Volubilis is the furthest point of the Roman Empire and looks absolutely vast. We see pillars of a former temple rising from the ruins which look fascinating.
As with many places in Morocco, once we enter the parking area a chap approaches. He asks for 10 MAD (about £1) and we oblige, unsure if there’s actually a fee! There’s a few other campervans in the parking area and coaches too. Presumably Volubilis is on the tour guide routes.
UNESCO World Heritage – Volubilis Roman Site Morocco
We pay the entrance fee, costing 70 MAD for two and walk into this 42 hectare site. It’s all very low key. Only half of the site has been excavated, so there’s a feeling of wondering just what else can be hidden.
Volubilis is UNESCO World Heritage and one of the most important sites of its kind in the region. Incredibly, it was unoccupied for a 1000 years, making the site ever more remarkable.
For us, the exploration along dirt paths between grassy banks begins. The area is rough in appearance, very much authentic with little in the way of modern day intervention. In some ways this lack of development for visitors is better.
As the site is fairly sloping, and with mountains and hills surrounding its position, we’re soon graced with fine views of the countryside.
Pillars of the Forum
We’re not sure where to begin to look, but try and start with some sort of method to find our way around. With this in mind we walk towards the far edge of the ruins first, where huge stone pillars rise up to the sky. This large Forum with intact stone steps to a higher level brings the imagination alive.
It’s not long before men approach asking if then can take a photo for us. We politely decline and aren’t sure if they work there or not!
Bathing areas and mosaics
The ruins really are in the middle of nowhere. We can feel the sheer scale of what was once a bustling city all around us. There’s no limits as to where you can walk, so you can get up close to the most remarkable ancient remains.
Some of which are quite evident, whether it be the bathing areas with beautiful mosaics or bread making sections, the former palace and large stone archways. The mosaics depict various scenes such as Orpheus playing a lute to animals, Hercules with his nymphs and a bathing Diana.
Other parts of the ruins contain the communal toilets and olive presses which indicate wealthy home owners once lived here.
The weather is cool and cloudy with the threat of rain, so we’re not seeing Volubilis at its best. This doesn’t deter the visitors though, and there’s quite a few groups with tour guides throughout our visit.
Our morning is spent roaming through ancient Volubilis before finding our way back to the campervan. It’s the kind of place where you think you may have missed something, but we hope we’ve seen as much as possible on this Spring day.
For now it’s time for lunch in the van before departing for the city of Meknes along the same route.
It’s been an interesting visit and one we didn’t really expect to find in Morocco.
