The Ruins of Great Zimbabwe, one of the oldest cities in Africa
This Iron Age site, the symbol modern Zimbabwe took it's name from, lies 17 miles from Masvingo and is the remains of an extensive town built around 1200 AD. The word 'Zimbabwe' is derived from Shona words that mean 'houses of stone' or 'venerated house'.
Zimbabwe developed into an empire covering over 1000 square miles. Evidence at Great Zimbabwe, like Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) pottery from China, indicate that the empire had extensive trade.
The two main areas of stone wall enclosures are: the Hill Complex, on the long, steep-sided granite hill that rises 260 feet above the surrounding ground; and the land below this hill where the Valley Enclosures and the Great Enclosure are situated.
The stone walls, up to 20 feet thick and 36 feet high, are built of granite blocks without the use of mortar. Two high walls form the narrow parallel passage, 180 feet long, that allows direct access to the Conical Tower.
The Great Enclosure is the largest single ancient structure south of the Sahara. The perimeter wall is 820 feet in circumference and 36 feet high, and it is estimated that nearly a million granite blocks were used in its construction.
The Conical Tower, is 33 feet high and 16 feet in diameter at the base, tapering to 6.5 feet at the top. It is solid, built of granite blocks throughout, and rests directly on the ground with no subchamber. It was used for religious purposes and not as burial mound.
The great material wealth of Great Zimbabwe may have been it's downfall. After its discovery in the 1870s European adventurers arrived in droves. The rumor started that Zimbabwe was the legendary "Land of Ophir", the source of King Solomon's gold.
The Europeans could not believe that the African "savages" could build in stone. Zimbabwe did have extensive copper and gold mines, and may well have been the Biblical source of Temple Gold. Not much is left of anything since the diggers, looters, and "shoot the niggers on sight" murders have come and gone. Long after the buildings and cathedrals of Europe have fallen, the Great Tower will still stand as a testimony to a long dead civilization.
