Chellah Necropolis

Hours

Daily 8:30am-6:30pm

Entry

70 MAD

Duration

50 minutes

Location

Southeast of medina

Romans built a city here; Muslims built a necropolis on top. Now nature builds something else — storks nesting on minarets, fig trees cracking walls, spring wildflowers over graves.

Where Rome Met the Atlantic

The Chellah was Roman first. Sala Colonia was a trading outpost at the mouth of the Bou Regreg river from the 1st century CE. When Rome withdrew, the site was abandoned for a thousand years until the Marinid sultan Abu al-Hassan built a royal necropolis here in the 14th century — mosques, mausoleums, and gardens planted on top of the Roman ruins.

The 1755 Lisbon earthquake damaged both layers. Nature took the rest. Today the Chellah is a ruin inside a ruin — Roman columns wrapped in fig roots, Marinid arches colonised by storks, a sacred pool where eels are fed by visitors seeking fertility blessings.

The Layers

Roman paving stones under Marinid archways. A forum reduced to foundations alongside a 14th-century minaret half-standing. The storks nest on the minaret summit every spring — hundreds of them, clattering their beaks. The sacred eel pool sits in what was a Roman bath. The garden grows wild in a way that feels intentional but is simply neglect turned beautiful.

Visiting

A 15-minute walk south from the Hassan Tower. The walls are dramatic from outside — high, crenellated, golden stone. Inside, paths wind through overgrown gardens past the Roman and Marinid remains. Allow 45 minutes. The storks are most active in spring. The eels are year-round.

Best Time to Visit

Spring for the storks nesting on the minaret. Late afternoon for golden light on the walls.

Getting There

A 15-minute walk south from the Hassan Tower along the river road. Well signposted.

Local Tip

Storks nest on the minaret in spring

Common Questions

Both. Roman Sala Colonia (1st century CE) underneath Marinid royal necropolis (14th century). The two layers coexist in ruin.

A sacred pool — originally a Roman bath — where visitors feed eels as a fertility blessing. The tradition predates Islam at the site.

Walking Distance

Nearby

Monuments

Hassan Tower

Neighborhoods

Kasbah of the Udayas

The Chellah is Roman ruins inside a medieval garden. We go in the late afternoon when the storks are settling on the minaret and the cats own the place.

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