Volubilis

Volubilis was the capital of the Kingdom of Mauretania and a large Roman city.

Ruins cat!

A Roman Medusa mosaic

Some of over 900 votive steles found at Volubilis

A family memorial stele with an unworthy brother's name hammered out.

Volubilis was very diverse. This is a epitaph in Greek for a rabi, from the 3rd century A.D.

A dedication in Greek to pre-Islamic Arab deities Theandrios and Manaf.

A memorial to a deceased Christian governor of post-Roman Volubilis from 605.

A stele with a relief of Anubis on it

A statue base with a relief of the local god Aulisua on it

Volubilis shared some cultural features with nearby Iberian civilizations before contact with the powerful civilizations of the ancient world.

Volubilis is full of mosaics

Carthaginians were influential in Volubilis, and when their empire fell Volubilis became the capital of the Kingdom of Mauretania, a roman client state.

An olive press

The Capitoline Temple and Basilica

Mauretania was formally annexed by Rome in 44 A.D., and became a rich producer of grain and olive oil. It was connected by a road to the capital of the Roman province in Morocco, Tingis (Tangier).

Rome lost control over Volubilis during the Crisis of the Third Century, but it remained inhabited and continued to be developed until the arrival of the Arabs in the 8th century.

The founder of modern Morocco, Moulay Idris, established his dynasty here in 787, and later founded the city of Fes, the future capital of Morocco. He was assassinated in Volubilis on the orders of Harun al-Rashid. He is buried in Moulay Idris, the white city in the hills behind the basilica.

The Triumphal Arch of Carcalla, who was born in North Africa

Bacchus and Ariadne

After the capital of Morocco was moved to Fes, refugees from al-Andalus relocated to the area around Volubilis.

Many buildings in Volubilis were destroyed and their materials used to build Moulay Isla'il's palace in Meknes in the 17th century.

Earthquakes also severely damaged what was left of the city.

The French started excavating the city in the 1900s.

Volubilis is one of the best Roman ruins you can visit in North Africa.

Meknes

Meknes is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco. We stayed in another beautiful riad there.

Meknes was founded in the 11th century by the Almoravids.

Meknes became the capital of Morocco in the 17th century under the Alaouite dynasty. The green building is the Grand mosque of Meknes.

Moulay Isma'il Sharif moved the capital there from Fes because he originally governed Meknes and had a power-base there. Succession of sultans often involved conquering cities aligned with rival claimants to the throne.

Berber tagine

The market streets are quiet early in the morning.

Thread makers spin their wares on nails throughout the market.

One of Meknes' many gates

The Mausoleum of Moulay Isma'il is the highlight of Meknes' sights. We went when it opened and there was no one but a caretaker inside.

The mausoleum is located in the city's citadel.

Moulay Isma'il used tens of thousands of Christian prisoners of war to rebuild Meknes as an enormous palace-city.

His city did not thrive long; the capital was moved back to Fes when Moulay Isma'il died, and an earthquake caused severe damage in 1755.

Moulay Isma'il had a harem of over 500 women and had over 800 children.

He fought against his European and Ottoman foes using an army of black-African slave soldiers.

The city was undergoing extensive redevelopment of the Kasbah so very little of it was easily accessible.

Eventually the prisons, water basin, horse stables, and grain silos will be open again.

It is easy to hire a taxi for a day to take you to nearby Moulay Idriss and Volubilis. On to the next stop!

Fes

Fes is the second largest city in Morocco and often served as its capital. Finding your way around the old city can be difficult!

Most hotels in the older parts of Moroccan cities are riads.

They are refurbished houses of large rich families built around an open air courtyard.

There are many historic building to stumble upon in Fes. One is the Al-Attarine Madrasa.

The Madrasa was built in the 14th century by the Marinid sultanate.

Fes was founded in 789 by Idris I, founder of an eponymous dynasty.

His son moved the capital here from Volubilis, the largest Roman city in Morocco.

Most inhabitants of Fes were Berbers or from Kairouan until refugees from al-Andalus started arriving in the 9th century.

The Zawiya of Moulay Idris II is a shrine that contains his remains.

The University of al-Qarawiyyin was founded in the 9th century and is one of the oldest institutions of higher learning still operating in the world.

The tombs of the Marinid rulers from the 13th-15th centuries overlook the city.

Fes has a sizable Jewish population, and when not a Moroccan power center was fought over by Muslim Spain and Tunisia.

The King of Morocco has a large palace (behind the park and city walls in the western portion of the city.

The Borj Nord fort was built by the Saadi dynasty in the 16th century, inspired by Portuguese designs.

A cannon used in the Battle of Three Kings in the 16th century

Fes came under French colonial rule in the 1900s.

The Bou Inania Madrasa was built in the 14th century

It is considered an important example of Marinid architecture

It is near the old clock tower and a gate to the city.

Cafe Clock is a great place for a camel burger and mint lemonade.

Even the cats hide in the shade.

Our riad had great food, like this traditional berber dish.

Dessert!

Don't get lost! It's easy to lose your way in the winding streets of Fes' old town.