Leaving from the reservoir, we were not in the mood for a big city, therefore we decided to visit Volubilis first. It took us a while to get there, but the weather was good, and we crossed a nice landscape and came through many villages.
Built in a fertile agricultural area, Volubilis developed from the 3rd century BC onward as a Berber, then proto-Carthaginian settlement before being the capital of the kingdom of Mauritania. It grew rapidly under Roman rule from the 1st century AD onward and expanded to cover about 42 hectares with a 2.6 km circuit of walls. The city gained a number of major public buildings in the 2nd century, including a basilica, temple and triumphal arch.
The province of Mauretania Tingitana produced grain and olive oil in abundance, which brought wealth and prosperity to some of the province’s large landowners through exports to Rome. Another important source of income for the city and the Berber tribes living in the surrounding area was the export of wild animals (elephants, lions, leopards, bears) still living in the north of the Maghreb to the arenas of Rome.
Volubilis prosperity prompted the construction of many fine town-houses with large mosaic floors.
The Arch of Caracalla, situated at the end of the city’s main street, forms a striking visual contrast with the smaller Tingis Gate at the far end of the decumanus. It was built in 217 by the city’s governor, Marcus Aurelius Sebastenus, to honour the emperor Caracalla and his mother Julia Domna. Caracalla was himself a North African and had recently extended Roman citizenship to the inhabitants of Rome’s provinces. However, by the time the arch was finished, both Caracalla and Julia had been murdered by a usurper.
The Corinthian-columned temple, which had a single cella (inner chamber), was of great importance to civic life as it was dedicated to the three chief divinities of the Roman state, Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. Civic assemblies were held in front of the temple to beseech the aid of the gods or to thank them for successes in major civic undertakings such as fighting wars.
We found the archaeological site interesting, but sadly not very well maintained, especially compared to what we had seen in Turkey and Cyprus. Many of the mosaics were in a bad state, some partly covered by mud. Nevertheless, it was fascinating to wander through the remains of a Roman town in this region.
Not very far from Volubilis, we found a pretty campsite, where we enjoyed the last hour of sunshine before it got cold again. Tomorrow we want to visit Meknes, one of the imperial cities of Morocco.
Moulay Idris, das Mariazell Marokkos mit dem berühmten Rundminarett habts links liegen lassen?
Sind noch nicht konvertiert, daher lassen´s uns da nicht rein!