On Monday we drove to the ruins of the Roman ruins of Voubilis. This ancient city was left almost totally intact, only to be largely destroyed by a major earthquake in the 18th century. Some reconstruction has been done, but most of the beauty here is the floor mosaics, which were not affected as directly by the quake as were ceilings and walls.
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| Just a couple of the MANY well-preserved mosaics |
Our guide showed us mosaics from private homes, public baths, and other types of buildings -- even the local brothel! The site is not as large as Ostia Antica, but somewhat similar in the level of preservation.
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| Lush land in the background made Volubilis prosperous. |
Volubilis is notable because it was the southern-most outpost of the Empire. Rome apparently looked beyond the Atlas mountains, at places like Fez, and decided the land was simply not worth the cost of conquering. The mountains made a military attack difficult and costly.
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| Temple of Jupiter |
But the area north of the Atlas was a lush, green breadbasket for Rome. Incentives were offered to Romans who would move here, to this remote location, to raise wheat and grapes that could be shipped back to Rome. These incentives, along with the fertile land, made Voubilis a prosperous place.
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| Village of Moulay Iriss. His tomb is the green roof dead center. |
Nearby, we stopped briefly at the shrine of Moulay Iriss, a descendant of the Prophet Mohammed who led a conquering army to bring Islam to what is Morocco today. There wasn't a lot to see on the outside, and non-Muslims are not allowed inside.
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| Dining area at the farm |
Lunch was at a farm near the Volubilis ruins that is operated by a famous chef who once worked in the U.S. It was an excellent meal, and our host was ain interesting guy. I'm embarrassed to say I met the man and spoke with him, bu did not get his name.
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| Ruins of the stables |
On the way back to Fez, we stopped by Meknes, once a capital of Morocco, and home to a division of royal cavalry. The water resoirvores, grain storage, and stables are intact.
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| In the grainery |
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