Volubilis in Morocco, hardly known

Unfortunately, most people visiting Aspendos leave immediately after seeing its unique theater and skip its aqueduct altogether. However, it is a true masterpiece of Roman architecture that can only compete with the Pont du Gard in France or the aqueduct of Volubilis in Morocco.

During a tour of Morocco, I stopped at Volubilis, and my hopes ran high when I first glanced at this vast city spread out over the gentle slopes of the overall green landscape. I fail to see why this location was chosen because the sea is too far away. I'm unaware of any neighboring commercial towns or crossroads networks. However, this city once was one of the largest in North Africa, together with Leptis Magna and Sabratha in Libya and Douga and El Jem in Tunisia. Time for some in-depth research.

The Volubilis I am discovering covers 42 ha. In the third century BC, it was a true Carthaginian city built on top of older prehistoric settlements. In 40 AD, Volubilis became part of the Roman Empire and the administrative center for the Roman province of Mauretania Tingitana. The fertile farmlands around the city produced rich wheat and olive oil crops, which were in high demand in Rome and contributed to local prosperity. This answers my initial question, but unfortunately, nobody informs me about the many buildings and mills dedicated to olive pressing. Only afterward did I hear that Volubilis counted 58 oil-pressing sites in as much they have been unearthed until now.

The poor ruins of Volubilis date in the majority from the 2nd-3rd century and are pretty disappointing, but that is because most of its remains were shaken mainly by the earthquake of 1755, which destroyed significant parts of Lisbon, Portugal. On top of that, the site was widely plundered and stripped of its marble in the 18th century to build nearby Meknes, which was supposed to become a second Versailles. It is madness considering today's standards, but on the other hand, nothing much has been done to restore any of the key buildings of this antique site as is generally practiced nowadays. Moreover, most artifacts have been moved to the Archaeological Museum of Rabat. In 285, during the reign of Emperor Diocletian, the Romans suddenly left Mauretania Tingitana. Life returned only in 789 when Idris I, a descendant of Prophet Mohammed, settled here and renamed the town Walila.

In the distance, I discover remains of the city walls dating from 168-169 AD with a lonely arch, the Tingis Gate, one of the eight city gates. From there, the straight Decumanus runs down to the well-preserved Arch of Caracalla at the southern end, erected in his and his mother's honor in 217 AD. It is decorated with Corinthian columns and was originally topped with a bronze chariot as customary on triumphal arches. The inscription on the outside wall is still in situ and reads as follows:

IMPERATORI CAESARI MARCO AVRELLIO ANTONINO PIO FELICI AVGVSTO PARTHICO MAXIMO BRITTANICO MAXIMO GERMANICO MAXIMO

PONTIFICI MAXIMO TRIBVNITIA POTESTATE XX IMPERATORI IIII CONSVLI IIII PATRI PATRIAE PROCONSVLI ET IVLIAE AVGVSTAE PIAE FELICI MATRI
AVGVSTI ET CASTRORVM ET SENATVS ET PATRIAE RESPVBLICA VOLVBILITANORVM OB SINGVLAREM EIVS
ERGA VNIVERSOS ET NOVAM SVPRA OMNES RETRO PRINCIPES INDVLGENTIAM ARCVM
CVM SEIVGIBVS ET ORNAMENTIS OMNIBVS INCOHANTE ET DEDICANTE MARCO AVRELLIO

SEBASTENO PROCVRATORE AVGVSTI DEVOTISSIMO NVMINI EIVS A SOLO FACIENDVM CVRAVIT

Translated by Wikipedia, it says:

For the emperor Caesar, Marcus Aurelius Antoninus [Caracalla], the pious, fortunate Augustus, greatest victor in Parthia, greatest victor in Britain, greatest victor in Germany, Pontifex Maximus, holding tribunician power for the twentieth time, Emperor for the fourth time, Consul for the fourth time, Father of the Country, Proconsul, and for Julia Augusta [Julia Domna], the pious, fortunate mother of the camp and the Senate and the country, because of his exceptional and new kindness towards all, which is greater than that of the principles that came before, the Republic of the Volubilitans took care to have this arch made from the ground up, including a chariot drawn by six horses and all the ornaments, with Marcus Aurelius Sebastenus, procurator, who is most deeply devoted to the divinity of Augustus, initiating and dedicating it.

Only a dozen columns have been re-erected along said Decumanus. A sharp eye will notice several public fountains (Nymphaeums) along the way with their worn-down edges where so many water jars have been pulled up.

My guide (who was imposed on me) has no interest in these details. It is rather annoying to be herded from one mosaic to the next without explaining Volubilis' general layout or history. It feels like a tour of Pompeii in the 1970s when archaeology was approached differently. The mosaics are pleasant enough but rather crude and less refined, and the floors need a good cleaning and even restoration job. Despite the rush, I still can appreciate the peculiar round Atrium we are crossing, surrounded by twisted columns crowned with Pergamese capitals and the out-of-common layout of the so-called North Baths. However, the overall picture remains pretty obscure.

Beside the Arch of Caracalla, only two other buildings stand out in all of Volubilis, and these belong to the Capitol Complex with the Basilica and the Forum. It is easy to mentally reconstruct the Basilica because the walls of the five wings are still intact. Opposite lies the Capitol from 217, dedicated to the Roman gods Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva, of which only the columns in the front are in place. The 1300 square meters between the Basilica and the Capitol constitute the paved Forum with the remains of an altar. And this is where my tour ends …

That leaves me with my most burning question: where is that famous aqueduct? Based on the maps, it is supposed to run on the east side of and more or less parallel to the Decumanus, but I see no trace. The Aspendos and Pont du Gard aqueducts are pretty easy to spot; you simply can't miss them – why not here in Volubilis? Maybe it is to be found out of view on the other side of the hill? The site has been put on the Unesco World Heritage List, but even in the literature, I cannot find any reference to this famous aqueduct… Any additional information is most welcome!

[Click here to see all the pictures of Volubilis]