Perched above the Loukkos River near Larache, Lixus is one of the oldest settlements in Morocco. Phoenician traders established it around 700 BCE, and Roman writers placed it in the mythical Garden of the Hesperides where Hercules completed his eleventh labour. The Romans built a garum (fish sauce) factory here that exported across the Mediterranean. The ruins include a Roman amphitheatre, thermal baths, and temple foundations, though much remains unexcavated.
Sources
- Ponsich M. (1981) Lixus: le quartier des temples