Morocco's most impressive and atmospheric ancient site is the roman city of Volubilis. From the Riad Fellousia in Meknes we grabbed a filling breakfast and headed out of town. The riad can arrange a special taxi to see the ruins as well as the nearby town of Moulay Idriss, home to Morocco's most venerated saint. Originally a Carthaginian trading post in the 3rd century BC, Volubilis gradually became distant Roman base in the 1st century AD and marked the farthest extent of the Imperial road. It had been continuously inhabited for over 2000 years until the Lisbon earthquake severely damaged the site and Moulay Ismail's dismantling of the city's marble to use the Imperial City in Meknes. Situated in some of the most fertile plains in North Africa, Volubilis provided Rome with a substantial supply of wheat and olives.
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