Amphitheatre
From the Roman era.
Carole Raddato from FRANKFURT, Germany — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Carole Raddato from FRANKFURT, Germany — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Carole Raddato from FRANKFURT, Germany — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Hihiman — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ideophagous — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ideophagous — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hihiman — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hihiman — CC BY-SA 4.0
An ancient city on a hill rising about eighty metres above the right bank of the Loukkos river, near Larache and four kilometres from the coast. The Phoenicians founded it in the eighth or seventh century BC over an older settlement, and it stands out for having been lived in from antiquity to the Islamic era, leaving Phoenician, Punic, Mauretanian, Roman and Islamic remains. It was one of a chain of Phoenician towns along the Atlantic coast, then flourished under King Juba II and his son Ptolemy, became a Roman colony under the emperor Claudius and reached its greatest extent between AD 50 and 150. Its wealth came from fishing, vineyards and fish salting, and bunches of grapes and tuna decorated its coins. The main sights today are the Roman amphitheatre, the temple quarter at the top of the hill, remains of walls and baths, and the fish-salting works near the foot of the hill. Ancient legends placed the Garden of the Hesperides and its golden apples here, along with the palace of Antaeus and his fight with Hercules, and the hilltop gives wide views over the river's bends and the salt marshes. Tickets are 80 MAD for foreign adults and 40 MAD for children aged 7 to 13, or 30 and 10 MAD for Moroccans and residents; the site opens from 9 am to 5 pm, per the Ministry of Culture's booking platform, and Moroccan nationals enter free on Fridays. The site is exposed with little shade, so bring a hat and water, and wear comfortable shoes for the dirt paths.
From the Roman era.
On the hilltop.
Views over its bends.
North-east of Larache on the right bank of the Loukkos river, about forty kilometres south of Asilah
The site is a few kilometres from Larache on the road to Tangier, easy to reach by car or taxi from Larache, or on a day trip from Asilah.