Trevor Huxham

One of the two hills As I explored Spain’s neighbor to the south, Morocco , during  Semana Santa  last year (Easter break), one of the spots on my hitlist was the ruined Roman city of Volubilis . I thought it was such a fascinating place not only because of the cool monuments and half-standing houses, but also because Roman ruins seemed so out of place outside of Europe—and yet, there they were, a silent reminder of the reach of the Roman Empire. Although Volubilis has long since drifted into oblivion, its community continues to this day a hop, skip, and a jump away in the town of Moulay Idriss Zerhoun, situated atop two hills. Circular minaret Trivia buffs might like to learn that Moulay Idriss is home to Morocco’s only circular minaret, a stout tower decorated in green and white mosaics that spell out pixelated Arabic script. But the real reason this town’s on the map goes back to the year 788 CE, when a man fleeing Arabia with a bounty on his head named Id...

Bab el-Mansour Of the four major cities that have served as capitals in Morocco’s past— Fez , Marrakesh, Meknes, and Rabat— Meknes seems to be the most-overlooked Imperial City for most people coming to visit the country. It’s a mere half-hour train ride from Fez, yet many people pass it over on their way to Casablanca and Marrakesh. Admittedly, there isn’t a lot to see here and the real treat here are the Roman ruins of Volubilis , a half-hour grand taxi  drive outside of town. Even Sufyan, a native meknassi  I met on the train and who kindly guided me toward my hotel, assured me his city isn’t worth visiting and recommended I check out Marrakesh and Essaouira instead. Imperial City I myself would have skipped Meknes had I not wanted to see the Volubilis ruins, which are difficult to get to except as a daytrip from town. Thankfully, in my hotel’s lobby I happened to overhear that a group of three Americans were trying to organize an intercity taxi to visit Volubi...