VISIT TO THE ROMAN RUINS OF VOLUBILIS FROM FEZ

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Roman ruins in Morocco? Something strange may sound if the perspective of the enormous territory occupied by the Roman Empire in its centuries of expansion is lost. But having a map in front, it is not surprising to realize that to dominate the Mediterranean it was necessary to conquer remote lands thousands of km from Rome. And one of them was northern Morocco. It annexed the Empire and remained a province called "Mauritania Tingitana”For, neither more nor less, than two and a half centuries. The city of Volubilis It was his capital. Next we will detail how to visit Volubilis, which are its most outstanding ruins and tips to prepare this perfect excursion from Fez.

As capital and administrative center of this Roman province, Volubilis was endowed with numerous public buildings, from which today we can see its wonderful ruins. It experienced a brilliant growth, due to Roman influence, but also for its fertile lands (with special importance to the production of olive oil), becoming an exceptionally populated city (about 20,000 people) to be such a remote province. In AD 285, and in the midst of a huge state crisis, the Romans left Volubilis.

But the city was not deserted, remained inhabited by Berber tribes and was even the refuge of Moulay Idriss, considered the father of Morocco, in 789 in his flight from Syria. Idriss I gave the city a new impulse, although after his death, the heir Idriss II moved the capital to Fez, snatching any privilege from Volubilis and encouraging its decline.

Subsequently he suffered two fatal blows: the first has to do with the appointment of a new capital: Meknes, which took place in the s. XVIII and for whose construction stones and material from this ancient Roman city were used. And later, in the year 1755, with a terrible earthquake.

Excavation and restoration work has been carried out in recent decades, and Volubilis increased the list of UNESCO heritage sites in 1997. Although you have not heard of these magnificent archeological ruins so far, you can see that you are before a historically very important place, and yes, pretty beautiful, which is definitely worth visiting.

Wikipedia.org

The ruins of the ancient Roman city of Volubilis are in the northern part of Morocco, above the Middle Atlas mountain range. The nearest major cities are Meknes, 30 km away, and Fez, 80 km away. It is also the bark of another essential visit in this area: the sacred city of Mulay Idrís.

To make the visit the ideal is to have your own car to have as much flexibility as possible. If this is not your case, you can arrive by taxi from Meknes (for about 300 dirhams) or from Fez (for about 500 dirhams). They are taxis that you rent for the trip both back and forth, waiting for you the time you need to make the visit. You know, haggle! You can also arrive by shared taxi (Grand Taxi) from Meknes to Mulay Idrís and from there to Volubilis, paying considerably less, but depending on other people to fill and leave.

In addition, the Volubilis visit is included in this tour in Spanish from Fez, which will also take you to the nearby and interesting Mulay Idrís and the imperial city and Meknes.

When paying your ticket, you will be given a map with a proposed itinerary, which is what we did and what we recommend. These are the most important places to visit in Volubilis in this order:

Interpretive Center

It is the first place you will find on your right and it is a small museum, both with open-air samples and with a closed area, where the history of Volubilis is presented, with information panels about life in the ancient Roman province and where You will start to see the first ruins of columns, mosaics, statues ... and even a mill where olive oil was made!

Orpheus and mosaic house

After ascending a little hill, we will enter fully into the ruins of the city. The first visit is the Orpheus House, with different rooms separated by walls, one of which is the main dining room, where you can contemplate the beautiful Orpheus Mosaic. If something stands out in Volubilis are its mosaics, and this is one of the best: it represents the god Orpheus playing the harp surrounded by animals. Do not lose detail of the other rooms, also decorated with fantastic mosaics.

Hot springs Galiano

The house of Orpheus is the largest and most important in this area of the city, where there used to be much smaller and humble houses. In your walk among its ruins, you will find a very significant area in Roman cities: the hot springs. These occupied a large space in the city center, consisting of several bathrooms, changing rooms, exercise rooms, latrines, etc. Underground canal systems were used to heat the water and enjoy wonderful spa sessions. If they didn't live badly ...

Jupiter Capitoline Temple

We will enter next in the forum, the public part and heart of the city. Normally the highest part of the land was used to establish this area, and in Volubilis it is no exception. Presiding over this square and elevated on a 13-step podium, we find the ruins of this temple, with several Corinthian columns standing (after reconstruction, of course) and dedicated to the three main Roman divinities: Jupiter, Juno and Minerva.

Basilica

On the other side of the forum, the Basilica was the building used to take matters of state, the place where justice was imparted and all decisions regarding the future of citizens were taken. In the interior there are several rows of columns and in its outer part a beautiful wall with brick arches is preserved. It is the most important building in the ancient city of Volubilis.

Caracalla Arch

Although possibly the ruins that attract the most attention are those of the Arc de Triomphe de Caracalla. This imposing arch was built in 217 in honor of this emperor, who managed to grant Roman citizenship to the inhabitants of the provinces. In the upper part of the arch you can see an inscription dedicated to the emperor for “his exceptional kindness towards all”. Formerly, I would be crowned by a bronze sculpture of a car with 6 horses.

House of Ephebe and House of Columns

These two houses are located to the north of the arch and the first one attracts attention by a beautiful mosaic, which by the way, cannot be accessed (but seen from a short distance. The second one, as you can imagine, was named as for finding several types of columns in it.

House of the works of Hercules

As we have seen in other houses, it is named after an excellent mosaic that represents the twelve works that, according to Greek mythology, Hercules had to carry out as punishment after killing his wife and children. From walking a cute puppy (it was actually stealing the dog from the underworld) to hunting ducks (or rather killing Arrows at the Birds of the Stinfalo)….

Decumanus Maximus

It was the most prestigious street in the city, which ran from the Tingis Gate (Tanger), at the north end, to the Caracalla Arch. In its good times it should be paved and at both ends beautiful houses and palaces decorated with mosaics and all kinds of details were distributed. In your visit you can travel them without hurry, with special attention to Gordian Palace, which would be the largest house in the entire city, reserved for the governor.

The ticket to enter Volubilis costs 70 dirhams (€ 6.5), for children under 12 years the price is 30 dirhams. If you arrive by car, there is a parking lot right next to the entrance. It is free, even if there is a hustler that tells you that he will take care of your car and then ask you for a tip.

Volubilis remains open every month of the year, with opening hours at 08:30, and closing at different times depending on the season of the year (from 17:00 in the winter months to 19:30 in the summer ).

You see that the archaeological zone of Volubilis, with its ruins of what was an ancient Roman city, is a super interesting visit if you are traveling through northern Morocco, and especially to make it as an excursion from Fez. We hope our article will help you plan your visit to Volubilis and be clearer now which are the places you cannot miss 😉