A mosaic floor in the House of Orpheus depicts Orpheus charming exotic animals with his lyre.

Located near the confluence of two rivers on a gentle mountain slope overlooking a fertile plain, Volubilis started in the 3rd century BCE as a Phoenician (and then Carthaginian) settlement. Rapid growth ensued under Roman rule from the 1st century CE. Volubilis became the capital of the province of Mauritania (Land of the Moors). The town fell to local tribes around 285 CE. It continued to be inhabited for at least another 700 years. By the 11th century CE Volubilis had been abandoned. The 1755 Lisbon earthquake devastated the remaining ruins. Restoration and reconstruction of the site began after most of Morocco became a French protectorate following the Treaty of Fez in 1912.

The Archaeological Site of Volubilis became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, recognized for being a well-preserved demonstration of urban development and Romanization at the frontiers of the Roman Empire.

On Google Earth: