Volubilis lies at the foot of the Jebel Zerhoun, about 26 kilometres north of Meknes, with the ruins spread across a gently sloping agricultural area. Unlike the Moroccan towns we had visited, it is not a living settlement but an extensive archaeological site, with the remains of a Mauritanian and Roman city scattered across the hillside. The surviving architecture includes the impressive Basilica, Capitoline Temple, triumphal arch, Roman baths and substantial town houses, many still containing remarkably well-preserved mosaic floors. Olives and fruit have long been cultivated here, and olive-oil production was an important part of the ancient economy. I found the site particularly rewarding photographically, partly because there is so little modern intrusion. The weathered grey-blue stone, isolated columns and broken walls stand out against the surrounding fields, while the mosaics provide a completely different scale of detail. I was also struck by how quiet and spacious it felt; rather than photographing a collection of isolated ruins, it was possible to step back and see the remains as part of a much larger, remarkably intact setting.