Volubilis, Morocco

Volubilis was first founded as in the 3rd century BC. At that time it was a Berber settlement, but traces of it becoming a proto-Carthaginian settlement have been found as well. From the 1st century AD onwards it was a thriving Roman city. It fell to local tribes in 285 and was abandoned.

The founder of the Moroccan Idrisid dynasty, Idris ibn Abdallah did settle here in the 11th century, but then moved to the more defensible city Moulay Idriss Zerhoun nearby (see other post on that city).

The ruins were largely intact until an Earthquake in the mid-18th century. The wealth from olive production caused many houses to be decorated with fancy mosaic floors that can still be found today.Read more