Monday 3 December 2007

Chellah

I apologize as I said I would post the trip to Chellah this weekend but my internet connection has been, and is, spotty at best. Interference from Russia no doubt. Here it is today, just click on the photograph to take you to the album.

Chellah (pronounced Shell- lah) is the ancient Roman city of Sala Coonia and the Merenid necropolis of Chellah. It was a once thriving Roman outpost that was built over in the 13th century by the Merenid sultan Abou al-Hassan Ali who built a necropolis on top of the Roman site and surrounded it with the defensive wall that stands today.

I visited on a cloudy cool day mid-week that had discouraged other visitors. I only saw four other people and a couple who did not want to be seen, on my walk through the ruins. It was spectacular to envision the old Roman city and the buildings that were added later. I went a little overboard with the photographs of the storks but they are just so cool.

CHELLAH: 28/11/2007 20:40


Ciao.

17 comments:

Maude Lynn said...

Gorgeous pictures!

James Higham said...

This sort of thing is immensely interesting to me and seems, to me, to be the main purpose of blogging - to learn as much as possible before the chopper comes down.

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Fascinating pictures, Lady M. And what beautiful colours in the place. The storks are amazing. Thank you.

jmb said...

I can see why you took so many photos. A very interesting place ( I had to google it to find out exactly where it was). Those storks must have been amazing to see so I can see how you kept on clicking.

Anonymous said...

Extremely interesting - I had to go and check where it was in My Readers Digest World atlas... Those storks were a bit cool putting a nest there..

Ellee Seymour said...

Well if you are not ill, it's your computer having a bad day. Hope you are feeling better, this is a lovely post, it's always so fascinating to learn about another culture.

Omega Mum said...

This is a bit of a non sequitor (which I don't think I can spell) but there's an interesting book out which talks about the fact that we dismiss our forbears as dirty, dirty people whereas washing and being clean has always been rather more important than popularly assumed, though things took a bit of a nosedive with the collapse of Rome. Love the pictures.

Mr Farty said...

Phenomenal pictures, thanks! I'd have loved to have seen this place intact.

lady macleod said...

mama zen

thank you, and thank you for coming by.

lady macleod said...

bretwalda edwin-higham

I'm pleased you enjoyed it, and I agree with your life philosophy of blogging.

thank you for coming by.

lady macleod said...

welshcakes limoncello

thank you, and thank you for coming by.

lady macleod said...

jmb

thank you, and thank you for coming by.

lady macleod said...

mutleythedog

I will put a link in next time to assist with geographical location, but I am pleased you enjoyed it. I agree with you about the storks.

thank you for coming by.

lady macleod said...

ellee

Oops I hate that I sound like a doom sayer; it's just a phase I'm sure.

I'm glad you enjoyed the photographs, and thank you for coming by.

lady macleod said...

omega mum

That IS interesting, and I'm sure has some political import as well. The way we think affects the way we live eh?

thank you for coming by.

lady macleod said...

mr. farty

I know what you mean, I was imagining to my full capacity while walking about what the former cities must have looked like.

thank you for coming by.

Sparx said...

Wonderful. It reminds me slightly of a fantastic Roman site in northern Tunisia - Djerba? Is it? Can't remember - laid out over a hill and in amazingly good shape. There is a certain joy in being able to take off one's shoes and walk on the floors of houses of that age - particularly when much of what we see from that era is normally behind ropes or glass here in the west. There is so much history in North Africa there for the touching.