Neglected ancient city of Volubilis rises again
MOULAY DRISS ZERHOUN, Morocco — Situated in a fertile plain at the foot of Mount Zerhoun, the sprawling remains of Morocco’s oldest Roman site — Volubilis — have survived pillage and long periods of neglect.
After decades of decay, however, custodians of the now closely guarded ancient city have turned the page and are bringing back the tourists.
The site, nestled among olive groves near the city of Meknes, boasts a new museum and visitor center and has been attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors.
They stroll along the main artery lined with porticoes and the remnants of vast mansions, whose mosaic floors testify to a prosperous past.
A triumphal arch, a classic symbol of Roman architecture, sits at the top of what once was the main compound.
Known in Arabic as “Oualili”, the city was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997.
The ancient city has “known several civilizations, from the Mauritanian era to the Romans through the Islamic period”, according to Mohamed Alilou, topographer and assistant conservator of the site.
Volubilis was, before being annexed by the Roman Empire in 42 AD.
At its peak, it would have counted up to 15,000 inhabitants.
Threatened by civil wars across the empire, the Romans evacuated the city in 285. It didn’t regain its splendor until the arrival of Arab conquerors in the seventh century.
Excavations at Volubilis began in 1915, along with research programs and restoration work.
But renewed interest in the site brought with it looting, especially during the period of French colonial rule from 1912 to 1956.
One particularly striking case in 1982 made headlines when a marble statue of Bacchus — the Roman god of wine — disappeared.
There was a desperate bid to find the relic but the statue was never found.
Since the opening of its museum in 2013, the ancient city has attracted several hundred thousand visitors a year.
“In 2017, for the first time we passed the 300,000 mark,” said Mustafa Atki, another Volubilis conservator.
Alilou said the ancient city, covering 17 hectares, has yet to reveal all of its secrets.
“A third of the site, especially the western quarter built in the Islamic era, has not been excavated,” he said.