Although in this blog we dedicate a lot of space to leisure, with special mention to gastronomy, our agency also deals with culture and history in detail. And archeology represents it perfectly. But what options do you have in your hand in relation to archaeological tourism in Morocco? Here are some ideas that will surprise you.
Main archaeological sites to visit
If you consider that, in order to discover history, there is nothing better than visiting it on the ground, entering an archaeological site will be a perfect experience. And although, compared to other countries, Morocco may not have as many archaeological sites, some of them are truly exceptional.
This is the case of Volubilis, about 20 km from Meknes and very close to Fez. In fact, it has been declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco for its good state of preservation and the uniqueness of the enclave: one of the most important cities of the Roman province of Mauritania Tingitana. From that pre-Islamic period, mosaic pavements, pagan temples and triumphal arches are preserved, making clear the splendor that the city reached.
The other great site that also deserves to be highlighted is the Chellah of Rabat, a few kilometers east of the center, as it is actually in the municipality of Salé. It also has Roman remains, but its most important remains correspond to the Merinid necropolis (or Benimerin), from the 14th century, for which religious and funerary spaces were built, in the style predominant at the time. In addition, this site is known by many for hosting Jazz au Chellah, a music festival that is held every year.
Although these two are perhaps the most important archaeological sites in the country, there are others on a smaller scale and in varying degrees of museumization, although the country is making great progress in this field. For its relevance and antiquity, we can mention that of Lixus, about 3 km from Larache, and was a city that stood out as an exporting port of oil and garum.
Archaeological museums in Morocco
Of course, the archaeological pieces recovered from these and many other Moroccan sites are not exhibited in the open air at the site itself, but are housed in archaeological museums throughout the country, where each piece is properly contextualized.
Among the most remarkable archaeological museums is that of Tangier, also known as the Kasbah Museum of Mediterranean Cultures, with special relevance to the Roman period, when this territory was a prosperous province of that empire.
Of course, Rabat, by the very fact of being the capital of the kingdom, also has a National Museum dedicated to Moroccan archeology, with pieces from the aforementioned Volubilis and Chellah, but also from many other parts of the Moroccan geography. It was inaugurated in times of the French Protectorate, in 1932, and had its equivalent in the capital of the Spanish Protectorate: the Museum of Archaeology of Tetouan, inaugurated in 1940, with pieces coming mainly from the north of the country, such as the aforementioned Lixus.
The list of archaeological museums is not very extensive, although it is not ruled out that new exhibition and research centers will be opened in this field. In any case, prehistoric pieces recovered from local sites are also exhibited as part of the collections of other museums, such as the National Museum of Jewelry in Rabat or the National Museum of Ceramics in Safi.
In addition, more and more archaeological excavations are being carried out in every corner of Morocco, from Essaouira to Fez, and this will lead to an enhancement of everything discovered in them. Therefore, new openings are not ruled out, either in the form of a visitable site, archaeological museum or archaeological section within other larger museums.
