Volubilis / Oualili

Capital of the ancient Berber kingdom of Mauretania, founded in the 3rd century BC, Volubilis became, from the 1st century onward, the western capital of the Roman province of Mauretania Tingitana, before Rome withdrew from the region around AD 285. Spread over 42 hectares at the foot of Jebel Zerhoun, the city yielded one of the finest mosaic collections in the Roman world, including the famous House of Venus mosaics depicting the Abduction of Hylas by the Nymphs and the Bath of Diana. Remarkably, most of the site — columns, olive presses, pavements — remains in situ rather than moved to a museum, which earned it UNESCO World Heritage status in 1997.