#7. Visit Imperial Cities & Roman Ruins in a
day
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Entrance to old Medina |
Rabat is Morocco’s political and administrative centre. It is largely deserted of tourists, so we
were able to roam at will, avoiding a local demonstration (and riot police),
into the depths of the quiet medina. We emerged
at the entrance to a whitewashed Kasbah
balancing neatly on cliffs overlooking a somewhat subdued Atlantic Ocean. Given a walking tour map, we explored narrow cobbled
streets, escaped from the heat in peaceful Andalucian
Gardens and took in our first museum, the Musee de Oudaias, housed in a former palace. From here we trained 2½ hrs (in second class
so that locals could appreciate fully our appalling French or Arabic) to
Meknes.
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Meknes City Gates |
Meknes (named for the original Meknassis Berber tribe 10th
c) is a modest town that we explored at leisure. Youssef had set us another walking tour (having all returned after
the last), and somehow our navigational skills held out yet again –
although some were sorely tempted by market stalls of goodies along the way. Sultan Moulay Ismail (1672-1727) made Meknes
his capital and managed to control various warring factions and colonial powers
to bring peace to a consolidated Morocco.
He was not only responsible for Morocco’s golden age but his family
connections extend to the current monarchy.
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Green, Pink or Black Olives, Madam or perhaps Preserved Lemons |
On our way to Volubilis, we stopped briefly to see the
pilgrim town of Moulay Idriss. Each year
thousands cram into this tiny town to celebrate the life of one of Morocco’s
most venerated religious leaders. From
our vantage point, the town is said to look like a sleeping camel. A fossil hawker literally appeared from
nowhere, hopeful for a sale or two. We had been warned about the proliferation
of fake goodies and therefore did not
make his day!
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History in Volubilis |
Volubilis was once a major Roman outpost (2-5th
c) of the province of Mauretania; its wealth derived from trade in commodities
such as oil, wheat and wild animals for Rome’s gladiatorial exhibitions. We met local guide Abdelhay, who explained
that less than half of the site had been excavated, and much had been destroyed
in the 1755 earthquake that rocked Portugal.
We certainly walked the walk and talked the talk as he took us back in
time, showing us exquisite mosaic floors, the grand Triumphal Arch (217), public
baths and houses of ill repute. Here, the Cap’n paid homage to certain Roman
gods – let’s hope these photos don’t make it on Facebook!
It was a fascinating visit to this UNESCO World
Heritage site (1977) and an opportunity to get close to Roman ruins without the
crowds. The area is gradually being developed with a museum in the pipeline and
further digs to explore unexcavated areas. Later, whilst sheltering from afternoon heat
at a nearby cafe, we developed our growing taste for refreshing, sugary mint
tea.
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Intricate Mosaic Floors Volubilis |
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