Ruins of ancient port city found near Morocco

Findings have included bricks inscribed in neo-Punic, a language that predates the Romans’ arrival in Morocco.

Archaeologists have unearthed more ancient ruins of what they believe was once a bustling port city near the capital of modern-day Morocco, digging out thermal baths and working-class neighbourhoods that the country hopes will lure tourists and scholars in the years ahead.

On Friday, researchers from Morocco’s National Institute of Archaeological Sciences and Heritage presented new discoveries made this year at Chellah, which is a 3.15-sq km UNESCO World Heritage Site with a footprint almost five times the size of Pompeii.

Scholars believe that the Phoenicians first settled in the area, and later on, it emerged as a key Roman empire outpost from the second to fifth century. The fortified necropolis and surrounding settlements were built near the Atlantic Ocean along the banks of the Bou Regreg river.

Findings have included bricks inscribed in neo-Punic, a language that predates the Romans’ arrival in Morocco.

The main excavation site has been closed for renovations since the pandemic and archaeologists have worked on expanding it since March. The footprint—including the extended site presented on Friday—is larger than that of Volubilis, which widely visited ruins 179 km east of Rabat.

Abdelaziz El Khayari, a professor of pre-Islamic archaeology from Morocco’s National Institute of Archaeological Sciences and Heritage, said that the site’s significance stems from its location on the 
water, which likely made it an important trading site, facilitating the exchange of materials including the import of Italian marble and export of African ivory. He said that new excavations underscored the city’s wealth and hoped to find out more in the coming months and years.

3.15
Area in sq km of the port city found in Morocco

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