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The site of recently discovered archaeological ruins at the Chella Necropolis, Rabat, Morocco, Friday, November 3, 2023. Archaeologists have discovered more ruins of what they believe was once a busy port city near the capital of present-day Morocco, excavating thermal baths and working-class neighborhoods that the country hopes will attract tourists and scholars in the coming years. Credit: AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy
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The site of recently discovered archaeological ruins at the Chella Necropolis, Rabat, Morocco, Friday, November 3, 2023. Archaeologists have discovered more ruins of what they believe was once a busy port city near the capital of present-day Morocco, excavating thermal baths and working-class neighborhoods that the country hopes will attract tourists and scholars in the coming years. Credit: AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy
Archaeologists have unearthed more ancient ruins of what they believe was once a bustling port city near the capital of present-day Morocco, unearthing thermal baths and working-class neighborhoods that the country hopes will attract tourists and scholars in the coming years.
On Friday, researchers from Morocco’s National Institute of Archaeological Sciences and Heritage unveiled new discoveries made this year at Chellah, a 1.2-square-mile (3.15-square-kilometer) UNESCO World Heritage site with a footprint nearly five times the size of Pompey.
Scholars believe the area was first settled by the Phoenicians and became a key outpost of the Roman Empire from the second to the fifth centuries. The fortified necropolis and the surrounding settlements were built near the Atlantic Ocean on the banks of the Bou Regreg River. The finds include bricks inscribed in the Neo-Punic language, which predates the arrival of the Romans in Morocco.
The main excavation site has been closed for renovations since the pandemic, and archaeologists have been working to expand it since March. The footprint — including the expanded site unveiled Friday — is larger than that of Volubilis, a widely visited ruin 111 miles (179 kilometers) east of Rabat.
Abdelaziz El Hayari, a professor of pre-Islamic archeology at Morocco’s National Institute of Archaeological Sciences and Heritage, said the site’s importance 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 African ivory exports. He said the new excavations highlight the city’s wealth and he hopes to learn more in the coming months and years.
A newly discovered statue of a Roman-era woman – possibly a deity or empress – dressed in cloth is shown to members of the media at the Chela Necropolis in Rabat, Morocco, Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. Archaeologists have discovered more ruins of what they believe , that was once a bustling port city near the capital of modern Morocco, unearthing thermal baths and working-class neighborhoods that the country hopes will attract tourists and scholars in the coming years. Credit: AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy
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A newly discovered statue of a Roman-era woman – possibly a deity or empress – dressed in cloth is shown to members of the media at the Chela Necropolis in Rabat, Morocco, Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. Archaeologists have discovered more ruins of what they believe , that was once a bustling port city near the capital of modern Morocco, unearthing thermal baths and working-class neighborhoods that the country hopes will attract tourists and scholars in the coming years. Credit: AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy
A cat walks past recently discovered archaeological ruins at the Chela Necropolis in Rabat, Morocco, Friday, November 3, 2023. Archaeologists have discovered more ruins of what they say was once a busy port city near the capital of modern Morocco, excavating thermal baths and working-class neighborhoods that the country hopes will attract tourists and scholars in the coming years. Credit: AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy
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A cat walks past recently discovered archaeological ruins at the Chela Necropolis in Rabat, Morocco, Friday, November 3, 2023. Archaeologists have discovered more ruins of what they say was once a busy port city near the capital of modern Morocco, excavating thermal baths and working-class neighborhoods that the country hopes will attract tourists and scholars in the coming years. Credit: AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy
The site of recently discovered archaeological ruins at the Chella Necropolis, Rabat, Morocco, Friday, November 3, 2023. Archaeologists have discovered more ruins of what they believe was once a busy port city near the capital of present-day Morocco, excavating thermal baths and working-class neighborhoods that the country hopes will attract tourists and scholars in the coming years. Credit: AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy
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The site of recently discovered archaeological ruins at the Chella Necropolis, Rabat, Morocco, Friday, November 3, 2023. Archaeologists have discovered more ruins of what they believe was once a busy port city near the capital of present-day Morocco, excavating thermal baths and working-class neighborhoods that the country hopes will attract tourists and scholars in the coming years. Credit: AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy
Abdelaziz El Hayari, a professor of pre-Islamic archeology at Morocco’s National Institute of Archaeological Sciences and Heritage, shows reporters a recently discovered statue of a cloth-clad woman at the Chela necropolis in Rabat, Morocco, Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. Archaeologists have discovered more ruins of what they believe was once a bustling port city near the capital of present-day Morocco, unearthing thermal baths and working-class neighborhoods that the country hopes will attract tourists and scholars in the coming years. Credit: AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy
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Abdelaziz El Hayari, a professor of pre-Islamic archeology at Morocco’s National Institute of Archaeological Sciences and Heritage, shows reporters a recently discovered statue of a cloth-clad woman at the Chela necropolis in Rabat, Morocco, Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. Archaeologists have discovered more ruins of what they believe was once a bustling port city near the capital of present-day Morocco, unearthing thermal baths and working-class neighborhoods that the country hopes will attract tourists and scholars in the coming years. Credit: AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy
Archaeologists and officials present a newly discovered statue of a woman draped in cloth at the Chella necropolis in Rabat, Morocco, Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. On Friday, researchers from Morocco’s National Institute of Archaeological Sciences and Heritage presented new discoveries made this year at Chellah—a 1.2 square mile (3.15 square kilometer) UNESCO World Heritage Site with a footprint nearly five times the size of Pompeii. Credit: AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy
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Archaeologists and officials present a newly discovered statue of a woman draped in cloth at the Chella necropolis in Rabat, Morocco, Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. On Friday, researchers from Morocco’s National Institute of Archaeological Sciences and Heritage presented new discoveries made this year at Chellah—a 1.2 square mile (3.15 square kilometer) UNESCO World Heritage Site with a footprint nearly five times the size of Pompeii. Credit: AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy
“We haven’t found the real port yet,” he said.
El Hayari and his team of archaeologists said the new discoveries further from the center of Chela had never been explored. At a press conference on Friday, they showed reporters a newly discovered statue of a woman – possibly a deity or empress – draped in cloth. They said it was the first such statue discovered in Morocco since the 1960s. They also showed a neighborhood of limestone and sunbricks.
Mehdi Ben Said, Morocco’s Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, said he was confident the location of the ruins near the center of the Moroccan capital would make it attractive to tourists from both Morocco and abroad. His department has invested $487,000 (€455,000) into the project since March and plans to double that amount next year and each year after that until the dig is complete.
“It’s something that everyone can be interested in,” Ben Said said. “Sites like Volubilis get 500,000 visitors a year. We’re aiming for 1 million by developing this site, bringing it to life, creating marketing, communications and everything else.”