The walls rise up to 11 metres high, built from granite blocks fitted together without mortar. Great Zimbabwe, near the town of Masvingo in southern Zimbabwe, was once the centre of a wealthy kingdom. When Europeans encountered it in the nineteenth century, many refused to believe Africans had built it. Archaeologists later proved they had.
The site and when it was built
Great Zimbabwe covers a large area with three main parts: the Hill Complex, the Great Enclosure and the Valley ruins. The Great Enclosure, with its curving walls and conical tower, is the most famous structure. The city was built and occupied from roughly the eleventh to the fifteenth centuries. At its height, it may have housed thousands of people.
Trade, the Shona and the birds
Great Zimbabwe grew rich from trade in gold and ivory, connected to the Indian Ocean trade network through the Swahili coast. Chinese ceramics and Persian glass have been found at the site.
The builders were ancestors of the Shona people. The word “zimbabwe” is often explained as meaning “houses of stone” in Shona. Soapstone birds found at the site have become national symbols. The Zimbabwe Bird appears on the country’s flag.
Myths, decline and a nation's name
Colonial authorities in Rhodesia promoted theories that foreigners, such as Phoenicians or Arabs, built the city. Archaeological evidence showed this was false, and the myth was used to deny African achievement. The city declined in the fifteenth century, possibly because of environmental pressures and shifting trade routes. When Rhodesia became independent under majority rule in 1980, it took the name Zimbabwe, honouring the site.
Great Zimbabwe was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986. The site has a museum displaying artefacts, including some of the famous birds.
The tower, city life and restoration
Inside the Great Enclosure stands a solid stone tower about nine metres high. Its purpose is unknown. Some suggest it symbolised a granary or a sign of royal power. Archaeologists believe the ruling elite lived in the stone enclosures while ordinary people lived in mud and thatch houses around them. Cattle herding, farming and trade supported the population.
Parts of the walls have been restored to stop collapse. Colonial writers once claimed Africans could not have built Great Zimbabwe. A whole nation now carries its name.
