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Volubilis, ancient roman ruins near Meknes.
Partly excavated Roman city built in a very fertile agricultural area, it was developed from the 3rd century BC onwards as a Phoenician/Carthegenian settlement. It grew rapidly under Roman rule from the 1st century AD onwards and expanded to cover an area of about 40 hectares (99 acres) with a 2.6 km (1.6 mi) circuit of walls. The city gained a number of major public buildings in the 2nd century, including a basilica, temple and triumphal arch. Its prosperity, which was derived principally from olive growing, prompted the construction of many fine town-houses with large mosaic floors.The town fell to local tribesmen around 285 but was never retaken by Rome due to its remoteness and indefensibility on the south-western border of the Roman Empire. It continued to be inhabited for at least another 700 years. By the 11th century Volubilis had been abandoned with the seat of power relocated to Fes and much of the local population had been traRnsferred to the new town of Moulay Idriss about 5km away.
The ruins of Volubilis remained substantially intact until they were devastated by an earthquake in the mid-18th century. Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed for being "an exceptionally well preserved example of a large Roman colonial town on the fringes of the Empire".
