Volubilis is a Roman ruins archaeological site near the city of Meknes. It was situated near the westernmost border of Roman conquests and was built as an administrative center sometime in the third century BC. While the Romans evacuated most of Morocco by the end of the 3rd century AD the city of Volubilis lived on. It was first reoccupied by Berber tribes and later by conquering Arabs. Had it not been for the fact that it was demolished in the 18th century to provide building material for construction of the palaces of Moulay Ismail in the nearby Meknes, Volubilis could have been the best preserved Roman site in the world!

We exited the tour bus with a light drizzle coming on that half way into our tour turned into a thundering lightning storm. We took shelter in the only building on site with a roof, an old mill I think, but while it wasn’t raining on our heads a river of water was flowing into the building from higher ground around us. With lightning and thunder outside, and water rushing into our little ‘house’, it felt as if it was all going to end very soon! We did however survive and the tour went on.