The National Institute of Archaeology and Heritage has unveiled a groundbreaking discovery near Volubilis, shedding light on Roman-era military architecture in Morocco. This revelation comes from newly unearthed architectural remains, offering fresh insights into ancient defense systems. In a statement, the institute highlighted that this discovery is the fruit of ongoing fieldwork conducted by the Moroccan-Polish archaeological mission in the vicinity of Volubilis. The mission wrapped up its activities on October 30, 2025. This project is a collaborative effort between the National Institute of Archaeology and Heritage and the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology at the University of Warsaw (PCMA UW). The Polish team was led by researcher Radosław Karasiewicz-Szczypiorski, while Fadwa Benjafar from the institute headed the Moroccan team. Benjafar noted, «The mission successfully uncovered two watchtowers, integral to the surveillance and defense system along the borders of the province of Mauretania Tingitana, dating back to the first through third centuries AD.» The statement further revealed the discovery of traces of a third watchtower. Adjacent to it were the remains of a funerary monument classified as a «tumulus». This monument features an earthen mound topped with small stones and encircled by a circular ditch approximately 40 meters in diameter. Benjafar explained that similar monuments are present at various archaeological sites across Morocco, typically dating to the Mauretanian period. However, she emphasized that definitive dating of the site awaits the completion of ceramic analysis.
