What is the Roman history of Morocco (Volubilis, Lixus)?

Many guests are surprised that Rome reached this far, so I enjoy the moment we crest the hill above Volubilis and the columns appear among the wheat fields. This was Mauretania Tingitana, a Roman province on the empire’s far western edge, and Volubilis was one of its richest cities — a centre of olive oil production whose stone presses you can still see among the ruins.

What makes Volubilis unforgettable is that so much survives in place. The triumphal arch of Caracalla still stands, the basilica and capitol columns rise against the sky, and the mosaic floors — Orpheus, Bacchus, the labours of Hercules — lie open beneath your feet rather than behind museum glass. I always slow guests down here; this is the best-preserved Roman site in Morocco and a deserved UNESCO listing.

Lixus, near modern Larache on the Atlantic, is the quieter, older sibling. The Phoenicians traded here long before Rome, and ancient writers even tied the site to the myth of the Garden of the Hesperides. Its Roman ruins, salting factories for the famous garum fish sauce, and overgrown theatre see far fewer visitors, which I think gives them a wonderful, melancholy atmosphere.

The Romans formally pulled back from much of the province in the late 3rd century, but — and this is the detail I love — Volubilis was not abandoned. It carried on as a town for centuries, and Idris I, founder of the first Moroccan Muslim dynasty, settled nearby in the 8th century. So Volubilis is literally where Roman Morocco hands the story over to Islamic Morocco. We pair it perfectly with a day in Meknes and Moulay Idriss.