 Photo taken from Volubilis ruins |
 Photo taken from moving bus |
| VolubilisMoulay Idriss
Photo taken from Volubilis ruins |
Photo taken from moving bus |
| Volubilis| Perched on the hillside, Moulay Idriss is a holy city,
containing the shrine of Idriss I, a fugitive from Arabia, who founded
the first Arab-Muslim dynasty in Morocco. It is only in this
century that non-Muslim have been allowed in, and they still are not
allowed to spend the night there. Upon his arrival in Morocco,
Idriss installed himself in Oualili (ex-Volubilis), won the esteem of
the neighboring tribes, and was proclaimed sultan in 788 A.D. He
died, poisoned in 791, and was succeeded by his son Moulay Idriss who
chose to make his capital in Fès. But the small town of Moulay
Idriss houses the tomb of the holy founder and owes its fame to him,
ranking high among the holy towns of Islam. The annual pilgrimage
to the shrine, during the moussem held in August, attracts
thousands of pilgrims from all over the country.
We did not stop to visit the town. |