The Mau­ri­tan­ian cap­i­tal, found­ed in the 3rd cen­tu­ry B.C., became an impor­tant out­post of the Roman Empire and was graced with many fine build­ings. Exten­sive remains of these sur­vive in the archae­o­log­i­cal site, locat­ed in a fer­tile agri­cul­tur­al area. Vol­u­bilis was lat­er briefly to become the cap­i­tal of Idris I, founder of the Idrisid dynasty, who is buried at near­by Moulay Idris.