Ruins and Relics

By Margot Frost

This morning we hopped on the bus and enjoyed a scenic drive through the Moroccan countryside until we arrived at our first destination of the day – the Roman Ruins of Volubilis. There we met our guide, who informed us that the city of Volubilis dates back 2000 years, to a time when the land was much more lush and fertile, which is why the Romans initially decided to settle there. The once thriving city was destroyed by a massive earthquake in 1755, but archeologists have been able to excavate about ⅓ of the city, and are still excavating today. 

At its height, the size of the population was roughly 25,000 people. Volubilis began as a military outpost, but the city grew in size as the Romans eventually mingled with the surrounding locals from other villages. As we wandered through the ruins and enjoyed the sunny weather and the serenity of the sight, our guide told us about the impressive architecture and rich culture that once characterized the Roman city. The Romans had an impressive sewer system that was about 2 meters deep, and would empty into a river. It is speculated that the river was navigable 2000 years ago, which is evidence that the Romans were using boats to travel and trade, and were very ahead of their time.

One of my favorite parts of the ruins were the beautiful mosaic floors that were still preserved thousands of years later. We also saw the remains of an old shopping street, the inscriptions on the stones indicating what used to be a wine shop, a bakery, and a poultry shop, and the remains of an ancient Roman Mansion, with evidence of a fountain, a koi pond, and even a hot tub. For rich families, the biggest houses could extend over 1000 meters. 

The Romans in Volubilis were also well known for their production of olive oil. During the excavation, many olive oil presses were uncovered. I was interested to learn that the first press of olives always produces the best oil, called extra virgin olive oil, and the second press produces lesser quality oil, called pressed oil. Pressed oil is used for oil lamps and medical purposes, not for consumption. 

Unfortunately for the Romans, despite their advanced knowledge of architecture and science, many of them died young as almost 40 percent of the pipes used for water were made of lead which we now know is poisonous. Even the sewer systems were entirely open at the beginning which is why many Roman’s suffered from malaria. 

After our tour ended, we hopped back on the bus and drove to grab some lunch, before arriving at our second stop of the day, Meknes. Meknes, which used to be the capital city of Morocco, was founded in the 11th century as a military stronghold, but developed into an imperial city. Here we met our second guide for the day, who told us that there are almost one million people living in Meknes, and it is known in particular for its olives and grapes which are exported to many countries. We then wandered through the Medina, and learned that one of the characteristics of the Medina is that it is purposefully built to look plain from the outside so as not to attract unwanted attention and enemies. Further, the streets are designed to be confusing with many dead ends and streets that look the same, as to easily trap invaders. We learned that each neighborhood in Medina has a large mosque, as well as some smaller mosques for people who work in Medina, so they can quickly pray and return to work. These smaller mosques are called zaoiya (or colloquially “express mosques”).

We then visited the mausoleum, dedicated to the Sultan Moulay Ismail (1646-1727). The mausoleum used to be a mosque, but it was converted after the sultan died to honor him. My favorite part of the mausoleum was learning about the significance of the different colors of the mosaic patterns on the walls. Our tour guide told us that the green is the sacred color, related to nature and paradise. Blue serves as a symbol of the skies and higher knowledge, and white is a symbol of purity and cleanliness.

Today was another swelteringly hot day, so although the sights were breathtaking and our tours enriching, none of us complained when it was time to hop back on the air conditioned bus and enjoy another beautiful ride back to our hotel for a relaxing evening.