tourism☆marocain

A stork landed on a column, a donkey walks two centre ruins, the far post to the mountains that dominate the plain: Volubilis is ideal for a romantic stroll and bucolic.

In addition, the fascination of discovering a city with typical Roman Forum, Capitol, basil, macellum, triumphal arch, spas, homes and neighborhoods that were its oil wealth. Volubilis should also be considerable, if we judge the number and quality works of art. If all the sculptures are an archaeological museum of Rabat, alone, the mosaics are conserved in situ of the Roman city a wonderful open-air museum.

Route: from Meknes, take the P6 in the direction of Sidi Kacem, 11 Km after taking a right.

Visit: pay 8 am to one hour before sunset; small restaurant on the spot and very beautiful hotel right side. Beware of sunstroke. Count 2 hours to quietly visit the site.

Volubilis in history.

A capital of Juba II? The era of the founding of Volubilis is still uncertain. Some historians, as Jerome Carcopino, regard it as one of the capitals of Juba II (25 BC), king of Mauretania. The excavations have demonstrated the existence of a pre-Roman city located on a spur strikeout. Volubilis was at the outset of the Roman conquest (40-45 AD), one of the main cities of Tingitana. It served as the residence procurateurs Romans who ruled the province and reported directly to the emperor.

Height and decadence. Volubilis grew especially II and III. under Antonin Sèvère and she was surrounded by a wall, enlarged in the future. Commodus the orna monuments. Macrinus fit the Capitol building, Caracalla, a triumphal arch and Gordian rebuilt the palace of attorney. Volubilis fell into decadence in the late III, after the Emperor Probus (276-282). The site does, however, was not immediately abandoned. The Berbers may be Christianized descendants of the Baquates occupied until the end of VIII. At that time, the Roman city is divided into two eastern part is then necropolises and career for the western part. In 779, volubilis welcomed Idriss I. Known then under the name Oulili (or Oualila), the city will remain inhabited fairly late.

Recent work has shown that Volubilis had been occupied until the High Middle Ages. Some currencies idrisides, ceramics characteristics XI - XIV and a necropolis of Islamic period attest to this long survival of the ancient site.

The excavations. Briefly described in 1721 by English John Windus, before the earthquake of 1755 (the one that ravaged Lisbon) ruinât not yet monuments still standing. Volubilis was identified in 1874 by Tissot, Minister Plenipotentiary in Morocco. The first excavations were undertaken by M de La Martinière in 1887-1892, taken from 1915 to 1941 by L. Chatelain. It has been continued since then