Volubilis

• Address: Route de Volubilis, Morocco
• Nearest cities: Moulay-Idris, Meknes, Fez, Rabat
• Website: sitedevolubilis.org
• Opening hours: from 8:00 until sunset
• Cost of visiting: 20 Dhs

Volubilis is an ancient Roman city in Morocco . Today it is one of the world monuments of the World Organization of UNESCO. Perfectly preserved to this day, the remains of ancient buildings, including majestic columns, powerful walls, gates and graceful mosaics, contain a lot of interesting things. The ancient ruins of Volubilis in Morocco attract not only archaeologists and travelers, but also filmmakers. After all, it was on these ruins that certain episodes of the famous film "Jesus of Nazareth" were shot.

Attractions of Volubilis

Among the archaeological monuments of Volubilis can be identified the following objects:

1. House of Orpheus. It is located in the southern part of the city. Opposite the entrance is a huge courtyard with columns, in the middle of it - a square pond. In the house you will see magnificent mosaics, various in color scheme and made of smalt, terracotta and marble. The house of Orpheus is also famous for its location in the press for obtaining olive oil and a container for cleaning.
2. Forum. It was built one of the first in Volubilis and served as a place for meetings of the population, as well as for solving important political and public tasks. Now there are several cobbled platforms with pedestals under the statues. Roman sculptures from Volubilis in Morocco were taken by the Romans themselves in the III century.
3. Capitol. It is located slightly south of the basilica. From the Capitol were only fragments, studied by archaeologists thanks to the records of Emperor Marcus in 217. In the Capitol worshiped Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. Some time ago, a partial reconstruction of the Capitol was carried out. Tourists are waiting for him in the beautiful smooth columns and staircases, which indicates the greatest level of skill of the Roman architects of those times.
4. Basilica. Previously, there was the administration and representatives of the judiciary, and also met the rulers. The basilica is distinguished by perfectly preserved columns and arched openings. Now here is expanse for the nesting of storks.
5. Triumphal Arch. It was built in 217 by Mark Aurelius Sebastian. Its width is just over 19 meters, the depth is 3.34 meters. Earlier, the top of the arch was decorated with a bronze chariot with six horses, made in Rome and brought to Volubilis. In 1941 the chariot was partially restored.
6. The main road. It is called Decumanus Maximus. It is an exceptionally straight and straight road from the Arc de Triomphe to the Tangier Gate. The width of the road is 12 meters, and its length exceeds 400 meters. It is interesting that the houses of wealthy residents of the city were built along the Decumanus Maximus, behind them was the aqueduct that supplied water to the city, and in the middle of the road there was a runoff sewage system.
7. Athlete's house. The building received its name in honor of one participant in the Olympics. In the house there is a mosaic depicting the athlete on the donkey and with the winner's cup in his hands.
8. House Dog. It is located to the west of the Arc de Triomphe. It is a typical building of Roman architecture in which you can see double doors, a lobby, an atrium with a pond in the center and a large dining room. The house was named in honor of the dog found in 1916 in one of the rooms of the bronze sculpture.
9. House of Dionysus. This building is distinguished by a memorable mosaic called "Four Seasons". It is made in several styles of the time.
10. The house of Venus. Quite large and beautifully decorated building with a patio, surrounded by eight rooms. There are seven corridors downstairs. The floor of the House of Venus is decorated with a mosaic. It was here that the famous exhibit, the bust of Yuba II, was found. Excavations in the House of Venus as a whole helped to collect the bulk of the exhibition of Roman art, presented in Rabat and Tangier.
11. Brothel. Very tempting place for visitors. It looks like an ordinary brothel for Roman soldiers coming here. The index, along which it was possible to find a way to this institution in Volubilis, has survived to this day.
12. House of Bacchus. It was in it found the only preserved statue of Bacchus, all the other Romans took back in the III century, when they left the city. Since 1932, the statue of Bacchus is kept in the Museum of Archeology of the city ​​of Rabat , not far from Volubilis.

How to get there?

Volubilis (Volubilis) is located near the mountain Zerhun, it is only 5 km from Moulay-Idris and 30 km from Meknes . The distance from Volubilis to the motorway A2, which passes between the cities of Fez and Rabat in Morocco , is 35 km.

To see the ruins of a Roman city, it is recommended to go on the road by sightseeing buses going to Volubilis from Meknes and Fez. From Moulay-Idris you can take the Grand-taxi, it takes about half an hour, then you will need to walk a little.