Great Zimbabwe

Introduction

Great Zimbabwe located in southeastern Africa is an ancient city, in the modern-day country of Zimbabwe. It is considered one of the most impressive architectural achievements coming out of the African continent. The city was built by the Shona people between the 11th and 15th centuries, and it served as the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe.

Great Zimbabwe is believed to be one of the oldest societies in terms of habitation and occupation. The Great Zimbabwe Monument is known for its impressive stone structures, including walls, towers, and other large stone walls. These structures were built using a technique called dry-stone walling, which involves assembling stones without any mortar. The walls were built using a combination of large and small stones, with the larger stones forming the base and the smaller stones filling in the gaps.

The walls were built to be thick and high, providing a natural defence against attackers. Another impressive feature of Great Zimbabwe is its towers. The towers were built using the same technique as the walls, but they were much taller and more intricate. Some of the towers had multiple levels, with each level being narrower than the one below it, like how Machu Picchu a 15th-century Inca citadel located in the Eastern Cordillera of southern Peru was built.

The towers were used for a variety of purposes, including as lookout points and as symbols of the city's power and wealth. Great Zimbabwe was also known for its impressive art. The city's artists created stone carvings and pottery that were both beautiful and functional. The stone carvings depicted a variety of animals, including elephants, lions, and birds. The pottery was often decorated with intricate patterns and designs and was used for a variety of purposes, including as storage containers and cooking vessels.

Great Zimbabwe was a centre of trade, with goods from as far away as China and India being traded there. Archaeologists have also discovered evidence of gold, ivory, and other precious commodities on the site. The city was also known for its impressive art, including stone carvings and pottery. The city's location made it a natural hub for trade, as it was situated at the crossroads of several important trade routes.

The decline of Great Zimbabwe is still a matter of debate among historians and archaeologists. Some suggest that the city was abandoned due to environmental factors such as drought and overuse of resources, while others believe that political instability and external pressures from neighbouring tribes contributed to its downfall. It is also possible that a combination of these factors led to the decline of the city.

Despite its decline, Great Zimbabwe remains an important symbol of African history and culture and it was named a national monument in 1937 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986. It is a testament to the ingenuity and creativity of the Shona people, and it serves as a reminder of the impressive accomplishments of ancient African civilizations. The city's impressive architecture and art continue to inspire visitors to this day.

The name

Zimbabwe is one of the few countries in the world to be named after a cultural and archaeological site. When pre-independence fighter Michael Mawema mentioned Zimbabwe during a political rally in 1960, he expressed a desire for an independent country ruled by the black majority. In expressing the name, little did he know that he was pitching a name that would later poetically transpose the country’s most iconic work of indigenous architecture at the centre of its identity.

The name Zimbabwe is a shortened and more practical version of Dzimbadzemabwe, which translates to house of stone. The house of stone in question is the Great Zimbabwe, a stone monument in Masvingo, a resort city 300 kilometres south of the country’s capital, Harare.

Who built Zimbabwe, and why?

What makes the structures unique is it is made of heavy granite blocks, shaped through careful exfoliation and are not held together by any mortar. Declared a national monument in 1937 and later proclaimed a world heritage site in 1986, it was believed to be built between 1100 and 1300 AD. These dates were estimated using excavated works of pottery within the monument. There are different theories on who built the 800-hectare monument, but the most widely accepted submission is that it was the handiwork of the Rozvipeople, who were a large conquering kingdom during the period and traders of note.

Archaeologists and historians believe it was strategically perched atop a hill to give the kingdom a vantage point, which would have allowed early detection of threats or approaching trade entourages.

“Great Zimbabwe is amongst the oldest society, whenever we talk of the occupation of this place, we talk of the Bantu speaking languages, which bears similarities to those spoken in the Katanga region in Congo,” Alois, a tour guide at Great Zimbabwe explained.

What is clear is that Zimbabwe was not built by aliens, as some Western documentaries have claimed. There are many compounds around Southern Africa that bear the hallmarks of the dry stone masonry used in Zimbabwe. One of the more famous civlisations in the region, Mapungubwe, which is thought to have existed around the same time, had many similar structures, albeit less imposing. However, they made many objects out of gold, some of which are preserved in the University of Pretoria.

Daily life in Zimbabwe

During its peak days, about 25,000 people lived within the space, which was demarcated into different specialised spaces that served different uses – the Great Enclosure, Hill Complex and the Valley Ruins.

“This was the centre of trade, political administration and it was a farming community. It was like the United Nations equivalent,” Alois explains.

Evidence shows that the people who built Great Zimbabwe may have been nomadic, migrating in search of more fertile lands and conducive conditions for their livestock.

“We have structures like Domboshava in Botswana and Mapungubwe in Mozambique, so in terms of the engineering element Great Zimbabwe is younger than both Domboshava and Mapungubwe,” Alois adds.

Another school of thought is that Great Zimbabwe was a central administrative hub and all the other similar monuments were sub-units that reported to them. The structure justifies the view.

Great Enclosure

The section is believed to have been where the grains and other necessities were kept. It is a circular space with walls as high as 9 metres. There are remains of huts, which appear to have been living quarters for a small section of the society, a recreational area and a narrow passage leading to the conical tower.

The Valley Ruins

This was characterised by similar mud huts, which archaeologists believe is where the rest of the community lived. The huts carry similar accessories and decorations, flooring, and designs.

The Hill Complex

Situated on the steepest section of the hill, it sits on a spur facing the north-western side. It had layers of human settlement, and this is where the famous soapstone birds were found.  It is believed to be where the chiefs and the royals lived.

Conclusion

It is the rich history and stories that justified naming the country after the majestic facility. “Zimbabwe is the only country in the world which derives its name from a world heritage site,” said Alois. Besides the majestic walls, the ruins were home to soapstone artefacts depicting birds. These are said to be of religious and spiritual significance. Today, they form a central part of Zimbabwean official aesthetics, including money, the national flag, and most graphic assets that represent Zimbabwe.

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