Volubilis is the ancient Roman capital of the Kingdom of Mauritania near Meknes in northern Morocco. We visited this UNESCO archaeological site on our drive way from Chefchaouen to Fez as part of our group tour with Much Better Adventures. As part of our group tour with MBA, we had a fantastic guide give us a thorough walking tour through the large site, which has been listed by UNESCO since 1997.
Human evidence in this area dates back to the Neolithic period, with the city of Volubilis founded in the third century BC as the capital of the Mauritania under King Juba II. Our guide told us that the wealth of this region came thanks to the grain and olive oils which were produced here, as well as the proximity to the coast and its location along the trade route from Tangier, enabling a steady flow of exports. Berbers took over by the middle of the third century and renamed the city Oualili.
On the way to Volubilis, we had stopped for lunch in Moulay Idriss Zerhoune, where the tomb of Idris I can be found, known as the "Founder of Morocco". He had selected Volubilis as his capital during the Idrisid dynasty, and our guide shared that, with the tomb now being there, Moulay Idriss Zerhoune was considered an important religious pilgrimmage destination for Moroccans to visit.
The ruins were damaged in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, and it took more than 100 years to identify the city and another 50 before excavations even started in 1915. Now, these ruins are considered one of the best in the world as they remained largely unchanged throughout history.
