ZIMBABWE: Great Zimbabwe
The Great Zimbabwe Monument, in
south-eastern Zimbabwe, is one of the world`s most outstanding examples of
`dry-stone walling`. Built between 1250-1450 AD, it is a unique testimony to
the masonry skills of the local Shona peoples: Zimbabwe, a word possibly
derived from dzimba woye, (venerated house) comes from the Zezuru dialect of
the Shona. The complex is constructed entirely of rectangular granite
stones, carefully placed, one upon the other, without the use of mortar. An
awesome landmark, it consists of two main areas: the more elaborately built
Hill-Top Complex of the Kings, on the summit of a steep-sided hill, and the
Great Enclosure (pictured) where the wives lived in the valley. Stone walls,
six metres thick, enclose the complex to protect its citizens, estimated to
have numbered some 18,000, from attack by other tribes. Two parallel
internal walls flank steps leading up to a Conical Tower, reported by a 15th
century Portuguese explorer as being more than 20 metres in height. Chinese
pottery shards, Arab coins and other foreign items excavated on the site,
suggest the city was a prosperous trading centre. Why it was abandoned is
unknown. Perhaps it was due to drought or disease, or simply the decline in
the African gold trade forcing its inhabitants to relocate. Also known as
the `Great Zimbabwe Ruin,` it was inscribed on the World Heritage List in
1986.