Desert driving requires special skills of its own. First, make sure to take at least 10 liters of bottled water for each person and for the radiator. You’ll soon find that you need to move rapidly over sand; if you start to bog down, put the car in low gear and step on the gas. Even when you’ve got more or less used to the conditions, the speed and passing maneuvers of locals will make you turn to Allah for protection. Wherever you go, make sure to take along your passport and proof of rental, as police checkpoints are extremely common.
Using Meknes as a starting point, make the short trip to the Roman ruins of Volubilis, just 33km away. Formerly a major olive-oil trading center, the city flourished under Roman rule and reached its zenith in the 2nd and 3rd century AD when it became the capital of the kingdom of Mauritania. It was the Romans who ordered the deforestation of the surrounding area to make way for grain with which to feed their hungry empire and as the surrounding treeless plains can attest, they did the job with their customary efficiency. Timing your visit to catch the archways lit by the setting sun is the perfect end to a day spent wandering the ruins and inspecting the remaining mosaics.
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