We had been in Casablanca for only about a day-and-a-half when we set out on our Moroccan road trip! To be honest, I really didn’t have any idea where we were going, only that we would be going to Fes and Chefchaouen at some point. My husband’s cousin Tracy had planned the entire itinerary. I didn’t mind one bit though. It was all exciting to me since I was looking forward to going anywhere in Morocco at all!
Unexpected Views
When we headed north out of Casablanca I had no expectations. If I had though, I’m certain they wouldn’t have matched what I encountered. There were mountains (albeit smallish ones) but they were beautiful. Olive groves and lush green grass abounded on every rolling hillside. If it hadn’t been for the mosques occasionally dotting the landscape, I might have mistaken it for Tuscany, Italy!! Occasionally we also saw an orange grove (Morocco is known for their lush, juicy oranges). The farther we drove, the more I became enchanted with the country. It was truly breathtaking!
Our first stop took me by complete surprise. It was not someplace I had ever even heard of, nonetheless visited, but it was no less amazing! It really wasn’t a town at all, but rather a ruin of a town that had previously existed there. We were in Volubilis– a Berber and Roman town that was founded in the 3rd Century B.C. It is now a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was inhabited for ten centuries before being abandoned. The nearby town of Moulay Idriss Zerhoun is inhabited by many descendants of the people who once called Volubilis home.
A Truly Ancient Place
I had been to places in my lifetime that were, by most standards, considered old, but never someplace this ancient. The mosaics that had been uncovered at the site were truly astonishing. Just by looking at them you could imagine walking through the buildings and living among the people. What was hard for me to imagine though was the sheer scale of just how long the town had been inhabited. Ten centuries is unimaginable, or at least it is to the average American like me whose country is only 242 years old! The site was also remarkably preserved for being so historic. Some of the buildings had been reconstructed, but even ones that hadn’t been were in relatively good shape. The detailwork on many of the columns was still intact and lettering could be made out on some surfaces. Wandering through the old ruins was like stepping back in time.
My husband’s other cousin, Sarah, who had joined us on the trip hired a gentleman to do a guided tour. I managed to catch some snippets of what he was saying as we walked, but quickly found photographing the ruins too much of a distraction to listen attentively. What I did manage to hear, though, were a few facts about the city. There was a large market area on the main street. Many shops lined the street and sold all kinds of goods, such as olive oil and other items. There was an aqueduct which brought water to the baths and took waste away from the town. From the sound of it, the city was very modern for its time and had housed nearly 20,000 residents.
Let There Be Light!
The budding photographer in me though was delighted to be experiencing such a wonderful location. This visit was the first time I had really begun to notice lighting, although it was hard to miss. The sunlight and sky were superb that day. We had arrived in the afternoon and as the day progressed, a beautiful yellow/orange glow was cast over the site. By the time we were ready to leave, the sun was starting to set. The setting sun gave a stunning backdrop to what was already a gorgeous scene. I couldn’t help but be awed.
After shooting several more pictures, we determined the light was simply too dark to work with any longer. We headed for the car and set out for Fes. It had been a truly remarkable day and one that we would not soon forget.
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