The ruins of the ancient city of Volubilis are one of Morocco's popular historical sights. They are located near the Zerhoun mountain 30 kilometres from the city of Meknes.
Volubilis has an ancient and eventful history. Even in the Neolithic times there was a site of Stone Age people in these places. And already in the III century BC there were settlements of ancient Phoenicians. Centuries later they were expelled from these places by the Romans, who formed their own city Volubilis (Latin for "generosity"), which eventually became the south-westernmost city of the Roman Empire and the capital of the province of Mauretania Tingitanskaya. The area had long been famous for its fertility, and in addition to agriculture, the locals also mined copper and produced olive oil. The city actively developed, and soon its population reached 20 thousand people.
A large number of earthquakes gradually brought the city into decline and at the end of III century. the Romans left it. Four centuries later the area was settled by Arabs, Berbers, Jews and Syrians.
At the end of the 8th cent. Volubilis became the residence of the first ruler of Morocco, the grandson of Mohamed Idris I, but he did not stay here for long. In XVII century Moulay Ismail's advisers suggested him to rebuild the city. But the choice of the ruler fell on provincial Meknes, where all the marble and most of the columns from Volubilis were taken.
The terrible Lisbon earthquake, which occurred in 1755, buried the city underground, preserving on the surface only the tops of buildings, including the Basilica and the Arc de Triomphe, which were discovered by Europeans in 1874. Since then, archaeological excavations have been carried out in these places, thanks to which many ancient buildings have been found and reconstructed.
Entire ancient Roman quarters are quite well preserved underground, their houses are decorated with beautiful mosaic paintings. Small columns that used to support the vaults of the houses and ancient devices for the production of olive oil and wine have also been preserved. Of particular interest to tourists are the Capitol, the remains of the Forum and the Arc de Triomphe.
In 1997, the ruins of Volubilis were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
