The Way to a City's Heart is through Your Stomach

We left Chefchaouen in search of new adventures, which came in the form of very old ruins. Volubilis was a Roman city of about 20-25 thousand people at its peak and was the southernmost Roman city in what is now Morocco. 

See Volubilis in the bottom left corner of the red Roman empire?

The Romans settled in Volubilis because of its fertile land, where they grew wheat and olives for oil. The Roman city stood for centuries until finally being leveled by an earthquake in the 1700s, and only a fraction of the site has been excavated so far. That said, Volubilis is one of the most impressive Roman sites that I have ever visited, and my parents felt the same way. It's a combination of how much was actually there with how well things were preserved (particularly mosaics) and how nicely it has been restored. We wandered through enormous, partially rebuilt houses with exquisite mosaic floors depicting Hercules or other gods. 

The largest houses had fountains in the center and fish ponds off to the side, possibly with a natural hot spring jacuzzi tucked around the back. God, the Romans were into their bathing. They had large public baths as well as fancy private baths will little nooks carved out for each individual bather.

From the giant stone houses, which would have housed the patricians (the plebs lived further outside of the city in much smaller dwellings), we exited onto the Apian Way. 

This road, which enters the city through a large archway and continues directly to the Victory Arch, was an extension of the trade route from Rome… hence the phrase “all roads lead to Rome.” Below the Apian Way ran the deep sewer system (remember how the Romans figured out the importance of those centuries before most of our “modern” societies?), 

Checking out the deep, millenium-old sewer system

alongside it were the ruins of ancient storefronts, and up above on one edge was a brief stretch of aqueduct that used to bring sweet water from the mountains to the fertile lands below. Those lands remain fertile, with odd geometries of cash crops piecing together the valley below and riots of wild irises filling the gaps between rough-hewn stones.

After standing in awe of the Victory Arch, 

we wandered the former marketplace, which was decorated with mosaics of more everyday items, like fish. 

We also explored the Judiciary Basilica, now home to more storks than people, appreciating how the intricate carvings on columns had managed to survive a millenium.

Other fun Volubilis facts:

- the swastika shape was brought to the west by Alexander the Great, who first saw it in India. It was a symbol of piece and was often depicted going the other direction from the version the Germans used.

- the Romans buried their dead outside of their cities, creating a necropolis, or “city of the dead”

- the infinity knot, which appears in numerous mosaics at Volubilis, is also known as the love knot, which is the origin of the phrase “tie the knot”

- the god Bacchus is often depicted with some of the 9 muses. The word “muse” is a part of many modern words related to the arts, including music and amusement

- Roman storefronts are identifiable by the ridges that run in the vertical stones that lined the front of the store, as they had doors that slid up and down, much like modern day kiosks or garages.

From Volubilis, we traveled to Meknes, home to the palace built by Sultan Mulay Ismael, a cruel ruler who killed his architect to prevent him from building a grander palace for anyone else. The giant gates of his palace remain awe-inspiring centuries later, 

though the atmosphere is a bit more relaxed than it might have been in his day. Across the street from the palace gates, snake charmers play their flutes, monkeys dance around in brightly colored pajamas, and tiny horses bearing elaborately decorated saddles frolic and wrestle. 

The palace Sultan Mulay Ismael built is one of the 18-19 palaces used by the current king, who typically comes to town for an international agricultural conference held in Meknes.  While Sultan Mulay was known for his cruelty, he did have another important legacy. He learned of tea from some of his European prisoners, and it became the national drink during his rule. And boy, do Moroccans like their tea.

Our final stop for the day was Fez, a city multiple friends had told us was their favorite in all of Morocco. The name Fez means ax, after the tools they reportedly used to dig for the materials to build the city. One of the first groups to live in Fes was Andalusian refugees, who settled on one side of the river. On the other side of the river, Tunisian refugees settled, and the city was born. Fez boasts the oldest continuous center of higher education in the world, per their tourism materials, the Univeristy of Al Quaraouiyine. It also boasts master craftsmen of many disciplines, including carpenters, carvers, tile workers, weavers, tanners… you name it, they’ve got it. The old part of the city, the Medina, has 14 entrances leading to over 9,000 alleyways. Lifelong residents can find their way around, but pretty much nobody else can. The rabbit warren that is the Medina encloses tightly knit communities but also makes the transition to modern life difficult, with alleyways too narrow for modern appliances to be delivered, let alone for ambulances in an emergency. And yet, it’s an incredibly beautiful and fascinating place.

Our introduction to Fez was through food. A Fez native, Nabil, led us through the marketplace of the Medina to sample its delicacies. We started with rghaif (“rife”), a crepe covered with caramelized onions and other deliciousness that was one of the best things we have had in Morocco. 

We then tried its cousin baharir (note: almost all of these spellings are my attempt at phonetic spellings), a spongy coral-like bread covered in honey. Next were kebabs of kefta (spiced minced meat), bibi (turkey), and kebda (liver), 

followed by fresh dates still on the branch. We tried olives of all types, including with lemon, with spices, or black from being left on the tree, as well as preserved lemon and very salty pickles. 

We sampled honey with different tastes based on the bees territory, including lavender, fig (delicious!), rosemary, orange, carob, acacia, coriander (fantastic), cedar, and euphorbia (amazing and has an afterburn in the back of your throat). 

We ate maacouda, fried balls of mashed potato mixed with garlic, chives, and egg (another favorite). We then picked up a sugary Moroccan donut called a svinge, which tasted almost like a French cruller. Then, it was back to savory with a stop for harira, a soup that Moroccans eat daily during Ramadan. Finally, it was on to desserts, including shebekkia (honey-soaked fried dough swirls), gazelle horns (an almond paste-filled cookie), and sweet avocado shakes. 

Thinking we were finished, we headed for the exit, but when we passed a stand selling snails we couldn’t resist the challenge. They were fine, but certainly not something I’d seek out again.

We arrived at last at our next riad, which actually seems more like a palace. It’s certainly one of the nicest places I’ve ever stayed. And then to sleep, to prepare for the next adventure…

Spotted: A premade mix of spices in the marketplace, designed for rookie cooks. Add a teaspoon of the mix to a tagine, and you can't go wrong!