It is so frustrating trying to type in Arabic on this blog. No matter how the text is oriented, the punctuation and the letters won't coincide. If anyone has any advice please let me know.
So, we set off for the Roman ruins of Volubilis (وليلي) today at 9am. It was a short 45min drive by bus to the ruins that are surrounded by olive trees and fields. The nearby town of Moulay Idriss was visible from the ruins.
I've read that the site of Volubilis is the farthest site west of Rome. Our guide showed us the gorgeous tiles depicting Roman myths and described, in Arabic and in excruciating detail, the history of every stone that we saw while we huddled around him under the sweltering midday sun. The site was gorgeous and amazingly well-preserved. A splash of water on the dusty tiles revealed the brilliant colors of the mosaics. Unfortunately, I had left my SD card in my computer and only had the available memory on my camera (about 10 pictures). Fitting all of Volubilis and Moulay Idriss into 10 pictures is difficult, but I think I did a pretty good job.
After exploring the ruins and watching the storks fly to and from their nests on top of the ancient pillars, we relaxed on a shady patio and drank soda and photographed kittens until we were herded back into the vans.
The town of Moulay Idriss is named after the man who brought Islam to Morocco. His mausoleum is in the center of the city, but only Muslims are permitted inside. The whole town actually used to be closed off to non-Muslims and it is still a devoutly religious place. All the houses hug a steep hill and we climbed a narrow maze of stairs (with the help of our guide) to the top of the city. It was a beautiful view and the kestrels, jackdaws, and swifts flying above us made it very picturesque.
We returned to the city center and drank fresh-squeezed peach juice while trying to cool off. I haggled with a vendor over a stone soap dish with a fossil embedded in it. Got it for 30dh!
It was a great day trip, but the heat was overwhelming. I drank water non-stop and still felt dehydrated. In two days, practically every Moroccan will be abstaining from all food and drink from 4am until after 9pm. It's incomprehensible to me but everyone that I have talked to says you can simply trick your mind into not being thirsty and it's not a problem. I have no intention of fasting, but I'm still anticipating that Ramadan will be a very difficult time.
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