Great Zimbabwe in brief
Great Zimbabwe stands in the hills near Masvingo, in southern Zimbabwe. It was built by the ancestors of the Shona people, between about the 11th and 15th centuries, and was the capital of a trading state that controlled gold and ivory in the region. The name comes from the Shona dzimba dza mabwe, “houses of stone”. At its height it may have held roughly 10,000 to 20,000 people. It was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1986.
The ruins
- The Great Enclosure. An oval wall about 250 metres around, up to 11 metres high and 5 metres thick at the base, built of an estimated 900,000 granite blocks, set in courses without mortar. Inside is a conical tower, about 9 metres high, whose purpose is unknown.
- The Hill Complex. A group of enclosures on a granite hill, probably the royal and religious centre, in use from the 11th century.
- The Valley Ruins. Remains of houses and smaller walls in the valley, where most people lived.
Trade
Excavations have found glass beads, porcelain from China, glazed bowls from Persia, and coins from Arabia and the Swahili coast, showing contact over the Indian Ocean, through ports on the Mozambique coast. Gold, ivory and cattle were traded from the interior. Cattle were a store of wealth, and the city’s economy depended on them.
The birds
Carved birds of soapstone, about a third of a metre high on tall pillars, were found at the site, which probably represent spirit messengers or a symbol of the ruler. One is on the flag and emblem of modern Zimbabwe.
A story of myth
When Europeans saw the ruins in the late 19th century, many refused to believe that Africans had built them, and suggested the Queen of Sheba, Phoenicians, or other outsiders. The German explorer Karl Mauch in 1871 and the colonial government of Rhodesia promoted this idea, and tried to suppress the alternative. In 1929 the British archaeologist Gertrude Caton-Thompson examined the site and concluded from the evidence that it was an African town, built by Africans. Later excavation and radiocarbon dating have confirmed this.
Decline
The city was abandoned by about 1450, perhaps because the land and water were used up, trade routes shifted, or political power moved north. Later centres, such as Khami and Danangombe, continued the tradition of stone building. Great Zimbabwe took over the trade of an earlier centre, Mapungubwe, in the Limpopo valley, around 1300.
Why it matters
Great Zimbabwe is the largest stone structure from the African Middle Ages south of the Sahara, and a symbol of African achievement and identity. The country, which gained independence in 1980, took its name from it.
Visiting
The site is about 30 km from Masvingo, with a museum and paths to the Hill Complex, the Great Enclosure and the Valley Ruins. The Zimbabwe birds are displayed in the site museum, and in other places. See also Angkor.
Sources
- Caton-Thompson, G. (1931). The Zimbabwe Culture: Ruins and Reactions. Clarendon Press.
- Pikirayi, I. (2001). The Zimbabwe Culture: Origins and Decline of Southern Zambezian States. AltaMira Press.
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Great Zimbabwe National Monument.