Volubilis, Meeting a Shepard, Visiting Two Berber Nomad Women, and The Mausoleum of Sultan Moulay Ismail, Morocco

Volubilis is one of the best preserved Roman cities in North Africa.  It was also one of the most remote cities of the Roman Empire.   It’s located between the imperial cities of Fes and Meknes.  Unlike the ruins in Athens, Greece we were allowed to walk on the original stones.

Volubility is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

There were many beautifully preserved mosaic floors.  Here you see the artist had a sense of humor by having the rider sitting backwards on his mule. The mosaics are over 2000 years old and still showing their original designs and colors.

The Romans had a sophisticated drainage system set up. 

A Shepard we spoke with. He hopes for a better life for his children. 

One of the Shepard’s dogs.  They are well trained and good at their jobs.  The main predator for the sheep are wolves.  The dogs will attack any wolf that makes the mistake of trying to catch a free meal. 

The Shepard had a large flock of sheep.  When asked, he had no idea how many miles he walks a day. He owns 350 sheep.  While chatting with him we saw his herd mingle with another herd.  We wanted to know how, at the end of the day when he took his sheep home, he knew which were his and which belonged to someone else.  He said he knew every one of his sheep.

We had the opportunity to stop and speak with two nomad women and go inside their homes. Plastic is now used to cover their homes and to sometimes line the inside walls. They replace the plastic every two years which is all it lasts. 

The life of two nomad families. In the winter when the families travel with their animals searching for food, someone stays to protect their home. 

This nomad is a Berber of which 85% of Morocco is made up of Berbers. We were invited inside her home.
 

This is one home of a nomadic family. 

Inside the home

Drinking tea is an important part of their day.  They drink a combination of green tea with the pot also filled with fresh mint leaves.  A tiny cup will have the equivalent of seven cubes of sugar in it. When you visit a Moroccan family they offer you tea with lots of sugar.  Otherwise they would be considered miserly. The children start drinking tea at around seven months. 

A kitchen of a nomad family

This is the wash house for the family. They wash clothes and bathe in here.  The water is hand carried in from a distant source. 
 

Another Berber nomad we spoke with who also allowed us into her home. 

Inside another Berber home.  That is not fabric against the back wall.

The nomads have a solar panel, a car battery and a small television. They said the tv is only used for weather reports.

The worldly goods of a nomadic family.

The entrance to the Mausoleum of Sultan Moulay Ismail, who made the city of Meknes his capital in the 17th century.

It’s important to always look up at the ceilings of these Moroccan buildings.  Because the Moroccans had no furniture, they sat or laid on floor cushions.  Thus they were always looking at the ceilings. Therefore they had magnificently detailed and intricate ceilings.
 

Look at the detail in the walls of the mausoleum. That design is all carved by hand

This alcove is where the Inman (one who leads Muslim worshippers in prayer) prays.  He prays facing the wall.  The acoustics are such that everyone standing behind him can hear clearly.  Again look at the exquisite mosaic tile and carvings in the wall. 

Life hasn’t changed in the countryside of Morocco