Rabat – Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Morocco Aimee Cutrona presided over a ceremony on December 20 in the ancient Roman city of Volubilis near Meknes, marking the official completion of a $189,000 project to preserve the site’s historic mosaics.
The American Embassy in Rabat teamed up with Ifker, a Moroccan Association for Education on the Environment and Sustainable Development, for a two-year project.
The project, which focused on the preservation and restoration of historic mosaics from the second and third century influenced by Greco-Roman mythology, was funded by the American Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation and the Moroccan Ministry of Culture.
The restoration primarily targeted the mosaics found in the House of Orpheus in Volubilis, as well as several mosaic panels that are presently being stored at Volubilis and originated from the ancient Roman city of Banassa.
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The initiative has trained local artisans in mosaic maintenance and repair in an effort to create long-term employment opportunities in the area.
“As Morocco’s steadfast partner and ally, we look forward to continued collaboration to preserve our shared heritage and foster prosperity for future generations,” said Cutrona at the closing ceremony.
The Volubilis project was funded by a special fund established to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the American Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, which was established by the U.S. Congress in 2001 to preserve a wide variety of cultural heritage around the world.
The Embassy has provided funding totaling more than one million dollars for various heritage preservation initiatives throughout the Kingdom through the American Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation.
This restoration process included parts of the Kasbat El Mehdia near the Moroccan city of Kenitra to the creation of a film archive at the Cinematheque de Tanger.
