Great Zimbabwe

Great Zimbabwe, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the country's south, is one of Africa's most important and impressive ancient monuments, the vast stone capital of a powerful medieval kingdom that flourished from the eleventh to fifteenth centuries. Built entirely of granite blocks laid without mortar, its towering, curving walls, some ten metres high, and its mysterious conical tower are the largest ancient structures in sub-Saharan Africa. The ruins, which gave the modern nation its name, are a proud symbol of African civilisation and achievement.

History

San hunter-gatherers lived in the area long before Bantu-speaking farmers arrived around 150 BC, and Iron Age communities of the Gokomere or Ziwa cultures farmed and worked iron in the valley from the 4th to 7th centuries without building in stone. Ancestors of the Shona began the stone buildings in the 11th century and went on for more than 300 years, the city became the capital of the Kingdom of Great Zimbabwe from the 13th century, perhaps as Mapungubwe declined, and its Great Enclosure has walls up to 11 metres high and some 250 metres long; it was abandoned in the 16th or 17th century. Portuguese traders heard of it in the early 16th century, and in the colonial era Rhodesians, mired in racial prejudice, denied that Africans had built it, ascribing it to Phoenicians, Arabs and others, until its African origin became the consensus by the 1950s; it is a World Heritage Site (Wikipedia, Great Zimbabwe).

What's there

• The Great Enclosure - the vast curving dry-stone walls and conical tower.
• The Hill Complex - the ancient royal acropolis on the granite kopje.
• The Valley Ruins - the scattered walls between the two.
• The site museum - the famed soapstone Zimbabwe Birds.

When to go

May to September, the cool dry season, for the most comfortable exploration on foot; the site is extensive and involves walking and some climbing to the hill complex, so cooler weather and an early start help. It pairs with a stop at nearby Lake Mutirikwi.

Good to know

It is a ruin of walls rather than intact buildings, so imagination and ideally a guide help bring the once-great city to life; it is also off the main tourist trail, in the south, requiring a dedicated trip. Its scale, the artistry of its mortarless stonework, and its immense historical significance as a great African kingdom, however, make it deeply rewarding and important.

Nearby

Lake Mutirikwi and the town of Masvingo are close by.

Key facts