Volubilis

A Little Owl! On the way to Volubilis.


While Pooks was laid up with intoxication alimentaire, Sweetie got restless and made the day trip to the Roman ruins of Volubilis, about 30 km north of Meknes. The site is huge, with the remains of stone foundations stretching over 40 hectares. Much of it dates back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries, though it was inhabited up to the 1700s.


The definite highlight of the place is the spectacular mosaics found in many of the houses. These mosaics are made from tiny colored tiles (about 1 cm square), and must have served as floor decorations in the houses of wealthy residents. They’re incredible, and the camera’s memory was soon filled up with pictures of them. My favorite was one with the mythological figure Orpheus playing the lyre, surrounded by all sorts of animals. Another depicts all 12 labors of Hercules.

Orpheus charming the beasts.


An earthquake in 1722 felled most of the buildings that were still standing, so the large intact structures are mostly reconstructed. But the site is simply littered with fragments of these amazing structures. Pieces of columns, arches, and engraved stones, thousands of them, lie all about the place like a child’s building blocks. There’s a sense of disorder, of things waiting to be put back together.


The history of Volubilis was recorded well enough prior to the earthquake that local experts have been able to sort out the stories of many of the ruined buildings. Several memorable ones included the forum and capitol; the bakery, with intact oven and milling stones; a reconstructed press for making olive oil; and the baths, where you can see the old below-ground systems used to heat them. Another stunningly functional feature is a dinner plate sized storm-drain carved from a large slab of stone.

An ancient storm drain. Amazing.


Unfortunately, the site’s current glory is much reduced from its previous state. As if often the case in Morocco, later rulers plundered the site for the adornment of their own monuments. More recently, many of the statues and artistic highlights of Volubilis have been transferred to museums around the country. But a new museum is being constructed adjacent to the site, and when it’s completed, many of these pieces will be moved back here.

Can anyone out there translate this?