Site archéologique de Lixus

On the right bank of the Loukkos river, on the outskirts of Larache, the ruins of Lixus rank among the oldest in Morocco: a trading post was founded here by the Phoenicians as early as the 7th century BC, before coming under Carthaginian and then Mauretanian influence. Becoming a Roman colony after the fall of Carthage, the city reached its peak under Emperor Claudius, exporting garum, salt, olives and wild animals destined for the Empire's amphitheatres. The site preserves a remarkable theatre-amphitheatre complex, one of the few of its kind in the ancient world. Abandoned in the 5th century as Rome withdrew, Lixus was put forward by Morocco for UNESCO World Heritage status as early as 1995.