About this place

Volubilis is a great archaeological site that is visited by many tourists who appreciate ancient history, especially the period of the great Roman Empire. This is the site of a partly excavated city that was developed around 3rd century AD. This city was once a Mauritian capital which later on became Roman. Even though Volubilis was continuously inhabited for several centuries and in spite of its important role of a capital city it was abandoned in the 11th century when the seat of the government was moved to near Fes. For the following eight centuries, the city was left almost unspoiled by the time but in the 18th century a strong earthquake ruined much of the site. Some of the stones from Volubilis were used in the renovation of Meknes. Almost 100 years passed until they realized that the ruins were in fact the ancient Roman town.

Greater excavations started during the French period and after so today people can see important buildings and houses that have been restored. Some of the important buildings are the basilica, the Capitoline Temple, the Arch of Caracalla and some nice mosaics.