Volubilis

Clash of Civilisations

Artist: DAMSSILI (Mohamed Damssili)
Year: 2018
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 60 × 45 cm
Style: Orientalism · 17th century

This painting shows a meeting of civilisations: Arab knights come to rest beside a Roman ruin at Volubilis (Walili in Arabic), which they discover for the first time, eight centuries after that civilisation ended.

Volubilis is a place where Arab-Islamic civilisation meets the old Roman empire, two great civilisations that lived in Morocco for many years.

My aim is to celebrate Morocco's ancient, multicultural heritage through historical and narrative compositions.

A place where Arab-Islamic civilisation meets the old Roman empire.

Where two civilisations met

Volubilis, known as Walili in Arabic, lies near Meknes in northern Morocco. It was a provincial city of the Roman empire, and its ruins (columns, a basilica, mosaics and a triumphal arch) form a UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed in 1997.

In this 60 × 45 cm oil painting, DAMSSILI imagines Arab knights arriving at Volubilis for the first time, eight centuries after Roman civilisation had ended there. They rest beside the ruin under a golden light and a heavy, cloudy sky, as two worlds share the same landscape.

The work belongs to his historical and narrative compositions, which celebrate Morocco's ancient, multicultural heritage. It was shown at the Salon d'inspiration in Taroudant in 2018 and again in 2019.