Larache

Places

Architecture

Lixus Roman Ruins

The ruins of Lixus on the hill above the Loukkos river estuary — one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in Morocco, possibly Phoenician in origin, later Roman, later Islamic. The Romans believed this was the site of the Garden of the Hesperides, where Hercules stole the golden apples. The garum factory that processed Atlantic fish sauce here supplied the entire western Roman empire.

→

All places in Larache →

Stories from Larache

History

The Golden Apples

Hercules' eleventh labor sent him to steal the golden apples from the Garden of the Hesperides — the 'Daughters of the Evening' who tended the orchard at the edge of the world. The Greeks placed that garden at Lixus, near modern Larache. The golden apples? They were citrus. Morocco still grows them.

History

The Purple Traders

Three thousand years ago, sailors from Lebanon built trading posts on the Moroccan coast. They brought the alphabet, the purple dye, and the word that became "Berber." The ruins are still there. Almost nobody visits.

You might also consider

Journeys that pass through Larache

Larache→tangier→asilah→rabat

6dInterest

Roman Morocco

Volubilis, Chellah, Lixus — following Rome's African frontier through ruins most visitors never find.

Plan your visit

Coming to Larache?

Every journey we design includes private guiding, accommodation chosen for character rather than category, and the kind of access that takes years in Morocco to arrange.

Plan Your Trip