Great Zimbabwe
A little less than 30 kilometres beyond the southeastern town of Masvingo, meaning “rock structures”, are to be found some of the most remarkable and majestic manmade remains in Africa.
The ruins of Great Zimbabwe – or Dzimbahwe as they are known traditionally - are a unique testimony to the Bantu civilization of the Shona between the 11th and 15th centuries. A World Heritage site, these are the largest ruins in Africa, extending almost 1,800 acres. It is thought that the complex may have housed as many as 18,000 at its height. The name Zimbabwe comes from the Shona language, meaning “House of Stone” and is associated with leadership. Upon independence, Zimbabwe took this name for itself.
The ruins can be divided into three distinct architectural groupings, known as the Hill Complex, the Valley Complex and the Great Enclosure.
The Hill Complex is a series of residential and ceremonial enclosures, built atop a granite dome overlooking the rest of the site. The smaller Valley Complex is considered to be the last of the architectural undertakings, dating to the early fifteenth century.
The Great Enclosure is the largest single ancient structure south of the Sahara. The wall of the enclosure measures 244 metres in length, 10 metres high and is up to 5 metres deep. It is tapered to be narrowest at the top, indicating a level of sophistication in the architecture.
The impressive structures are built of granite blocks using a dry-stone technique without the use of mortar. Featuring an array of chevron, herringbone and many other intricate patterns, it is astonishing that the complex has endured for seven centuries.
Great mystery still surrounds the purpose of the site. When the Shona abandoned the site, sometime in the fifteenth century they left behind no written records. The choice of location is of particular intrigue as the area has poor soils and would only support large-scale agriculture with great difficulty. Speculation over the years has suggested that it might have been a religious centre or even the location of a huge deposit of gold. A more recent theory is that it was Africa’s version of Stonehenge, a giant observatory aligned with the stars.
Whatever the original purpose however, Great Zimbabwe went on to become the greatest trading city in southern Africa. Artefacts from as far away as China have been found by archaeologists, supporting the notion that the site was a great trading centre known to Arab and Chinese merchants.
There is probably no greater monument to the pre-colonial past of Sub-Saharan Africa than the ruins of Great Zimbabwe. A visit is essential for history lovers and for those who want to see some of the highlights of medieval Africa.
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Chizarira National Park