Morocco 2/16/2024 - 3/2/2024 |
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Monday 2/19/2024 - Volubilis, FesWe woke up at 5:45 a.m. and went down to breakfast just before 7 o'clock. We enjoyed the extensive buffet breakfast once again, along with coffee and orange juice. We called for our baggage to be brought down at 8:50. We checked out just before 9 o'clock, met up with Jamal and Majid, and were soon on the road to Volubilis, a 3.5 hour drive.I studied Classics for 5 years in middle and high school, and have always wanted to visit Roman ruins. I got my first chance in Sardis and Ephesus in Türkiye in 2020. I was really looking forward to seeing Rome's footprint in Morocco as well. We stopped at a rest stop to use the restroom, and Jamal and Majid got cups of coffee. My stomach started hurting a little bit in the van, but I took a Tums and then started to feel better. We passed Moulay Idriss Zerhoun, a picturesque hill town at the base of Mount Zerhoun, and the site of the tomb of Idris I, the first major Islamic ruler of Morocco. It reminded us of something out of The Lord of the Rings. After driving several more kilometers, we arrived at Volubilis just before 1 p.m. for our one-hour tour with a local guide, who also happened to be named Majid. The name Volubilis means morning glory, but the site was later renamed by the Amazigh to Oualili, meaning oleander. The site was large (around 100 acres), and there was a lot to see in a short amount of time. Local guide Majid kept us going, without much time to stop and look at any one particular thing. It was hard to digest the history that he was telling us while rushing to try to see and get photos of everything. It was only 74 degrees, but the sun was unrelenting. It felt much hotter; unlike in Casablanca, there was no air movement here. There was also very little shade. The city of Volubilis developed from the 3rd century B.C. onward as an Amazigh/Berber, then proto-Carthaginian, settlement. From A.D. 45, Caligula took it over and Volubilis was subject to direct Roman rule. It was the Roman Empire’s most remote base. The Romans were interested in this area because it provided the perfect conditions for growing olives. Olive oil production and copper were the city's main resources. We saw stone olive oil presses amongst the ruins, with channels chiseled into rock to capture the oil as it was pressed from the olives. There were 58 olive oil processing facilities spread throughout the city. Most of the ruined buildings at the site date to the beginning of the 3rd century, when around 20,000 people called Volubilis home. The buildings were lost to time underground until the French started excavating in 1915 and built little rail tracks on which to move the dirt. Many of the statues found at the site were taken to museums, and much of the stone from the site was taken to use for future building projects. There are foundations of houses, bakeries, and flour milling facilities. It takes a little bit of imagination to picture what the site must have looked like as a thriving city of 20,000 inhabitants. Its location is stunning, with views of surrounding mountains, green fields, and wildflowers. In the foundations of houses, there were many well-preserved mosaic floors to admire. These depicted scenes including the labors of Hercules, Bacchus approaching a sleeping Ariadne, and Diana and her nymph surprised by Actaeon while bathing. We saw remnants of an aqueduct which brought water to the town from a large spring to the northeast. This aqueduct dates back to 60-80 C.E. This water was channeled into larger houses, baths, and public fountains. We saw the North Baths, which are situated such that people could orient themselves into/out of the sun depending on where they sat in a circle at what time of day. The most impressive restored structures include the triumphal arch (which celebrates Roman Emperor Caracalla granting Roman citizenship and tax relief to the inhabitants of Volubilis), the Judiciary Basilica, and the Capitoline Temple (dedicated to the three main divinities of the Roman empire: Jupiter, Juno and Minerva). We also saw the forum, a washing area, and ruins of latrines. By the end of the 3rd century, the Romans had gone. Volubilis continued to be inhabited for at least another 700 years, first as a Latinised Christian community, then as an early Islamic settlement. In 1755, the Lisbon earthquake left nothing standing but the triumphal arch. Spoliation occured when most of the marble was taken from the site in the 18th century to decorate the palaces of nearby Meknes. An hour after the tour started, we were back at the parking area where we had begun. Local guide Majid had been right to keep us moving; if left to our own devices, we never would have been done sightseeing in an hour. If we had it to do over again, we probably would have booked a little more time here so that we could have explored at our own pace. However, it was probably for the best that we didn't because... My stomach began to feel strange again, and the heat just exacerbated things. At the very end of the tour, when we were back at the parking area, I vomited several times. Jamal was quick to get me water so that I wouldn't dehydrate, and local guide Majid brought a stool so I could sit in the shade of an olive tree and cool down for a few minutes. After sitting and relaxing for a bit, I felt better, and was ready to continue. Although I wasn't interested in eating, as a group, we needed to decide what to do for food: either eat a late lunch at a neighboring restaurant, or make reservations at the riad where we would be spending the night in Fes. I was not hungry at all, and didn't foresee a big, fancy restaurant meal in my future for dinner tonight. So we decided to stop at the nearby Roman City restaurant where Craig and the guys could eat some lunch. Craig had a chicken pastilla with lemonade, and I just had a Coke, hoping it would settle my stomach a bit. After lunch, we got back into the van and driver Majid drove us the remaining 90 minutes to Fes. I reclined my chair and slept the whole way. When we arrived in Fes, Jamal told us that our riad was in the old medina where no cars were allowed. This medina is what you picture as quintessential Morocco...narrow streets with no cars allowed, shops, hotels, and restaurants all hiding behind massive fancy doors. So Majid drove us as far as he could and then let us off. Jamal hired a porter to wheel our luggage the several minute walk down labyrinthine streets to the Karawan Riad. "Riad" means "garden", and these types of accommodation have a garden courtyard in the center and guest rooms around the perimeter. As we entered the massive wooden door we passed by the check-in desk and were led to an airy courtyard. We could hear birds chirping as we sat down on patio furniture in the courtyard and were welcomed to the riad with mint tea and crackers. In Morocco, the teapot is held high above the glasses and the tea is poured with a flourish so that it is "royal tea" with a "crown" of bubbles. They showed us where the restaurant was on the first floor, and pointed out the staircase that would take us up to the roofdeck for panoramic sunset views. We said goodnight to Jamal and thanked him for another wonderful day. I looked forward to getting some rest and hoped that my stomach was on the mend. The staff led us up a narrow set of stairs (reminiscent of what you might expect to see in a medieval castle) to the Laawan Suite on the second floor. It was a gorgeous room. It had a large bedroom/bathroom with a sunken concrete bathtub/shower, and a large sitting room with a sofa and a desk. There was even some outdoor patio space. What a lovely spot in which to spend our three nights in Fes! There were no landline phones in the room, so they gave us a cell phone to use to contact reception. I guess I shouldn't have had the tea and crackers after all, because as soon as I came into the room, they came right back up again. I was glad that we didn't have any activities planned for the evening, and this riad was a restful place where I could hopefully regain my strength. I posted on Instagram and Facebook about Volubilis, and before I posted about the hotel, we wanted to go up to the roof deck to check out the panoramic views at sunset. It was a bit hard climbing all the steps in my weakened, dehydrated state, but it was worth it. The view was stunning. The sun had just passed below the horizon of the surrounding hills, but the sky was still glowing orange. Cats were gathering, parkouring from one rooftop to another. Up here on the roof we were reminded that despite the oasis-type feel within the riad, we were in the heart of the old city. Buildings had little to no space between them. We could see a couple eating a romantic sunset dinner on one of the neighboring rooftops. Then we came back to the room. I did an Instagram and Facebook post about the riad, and I wrote up notes on my laptop. I sincerely hope that I feel better tomorrow since we have a full day of exploring the medina! We went to bed at around 8 o'clock. Several hours later, Craig woke up, ran to the bathroom, and unexpectedly started vomiting. I also had to make several emergency trips to the bathroom overnight. Apparently, our stomachs were in bad shape. We didn't know what the cause was, but we were both suffering, but there was nothing we could do. I managed to get a couple more hours of sleep, but Craig got none. It was a long night. Volubilis Karawan Riad |
 Volubilis  Volubilis  Mosaic of the Labors of Hercules  Steph at Volubilis  Ancient olive press at Volubilis  Arch of Caracalla (Triumphal Arch), Volubilis  Enjoying mint tea in the courtyard of Karawan Riad  Craig on the rooftop deck of Karawan Riad See all photos from February 19 |
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