By Ratidzo Mangombe.

The Great Zimbabwe national monuments, extracted from the shona term ‘Dzimbadzamabwe’ (houses of stones) has proved to be the Tourist Capital of Masvingo province, if not in Zimbabwe and has been attracting tourists from across the world, visiting the wonders of our ancestors, who survived centuries ago.

The Great Zimbabwe ruins, are set in the rugged south eastern hills near lake Mutirikwi, (the second largest inland lake in Zimbabwe) which offers a variety of water sports and tranquil environment for walks and picnics, and the historical town of Masvingo, close to the Chimanimani Mountains and the Chipinge District.

Great Zimbabwe takes its name from a shona word dzimbadzemabwe which was later converted to Zimbabwe, our nation. The unusual magnificent architectural masterpieces of granite stone structures without mortar involving millions of stones, each one supporting another, are a must see.

Many of the structures are made of rectangular blocks cut from nearby granite outcroppings. Surrounded by the ancient untouched hills and naturally preserved forests, it feels as you have gone back in time. Locally surrounding areas offer rich cultural interaction, there are traditional art and craft souvenirs sold at very affordable prices. It is one of the most unique architectural and dramatic historical landscapes in the Sub Saharan Africa.

If you are in quest of a great vacation place in Zimbabwe, the Southern region to be specific, Great Zimbabwe is one in all stop. It was constructed between AD 1100 and 1600 The city acted as a royal palace for the Zimbabwean monarchs. Archaeological evidence suggests that Great Zimbabwe was once a thriving centre of trade between 12th and 17th century. If African history is what you crave for, Great Zimbabwe monuments is the perfect pit stop.

The Great Zimbabwe site can be divided into three main architectural zones being the Hill Complex, the Great Enclosure and the Valley complex. The Hill Complex is constructed on the hill located north of the site. The archaeological stratigraphic sequence shows that stone wall building started on the Hill Complex.

The hill more than anywhere else shows the engineering qualities of the traditional stone masonry. Most of the dry stonewall structures on the hill are free standing, except on the slopes where retaining walls are used to terrace the slope or to provide a building platform. This could have been necessitated by a gradual expansion of the settlement. Very few dhaka structures remain as part of the Hill Complex but, when it was discovered in the late nineteenth century, the Western Enclosure had moulded dhaka platforms, benches and walls. These were largely destroyed in 1915 under the misconception that weight endangered the stability of the dry-stone wall. On the south and western slopes of the hill is evidence of extensive settlement in the form of terracing and construction of retaining walls. The picture bellow shows the Hill complex.

The Hill Complex
Below the Hill Complex, across the valley but adjacent to the Hill Complex sits the most stunning of Great Zimbabwe’s structures, it is perhaps the most spectacular and substantial structure on the monument the Great Enclosure, or Elliptical Building. Called Imbahuru, meaning “the house of the great woman” or “the great house,” by the Karanga-speaking people who lived there during the19th century, the Great Enclosure was built at the height of Great Zimbabwe’s power. (Karanga is the most common dialect of Shona and is spoken by the inhabitants of south-central Zimbabwe.) The enclosing wall is 800 feet long and stands 32 feet high at some places; an estimated one million blocks were used in its construction. An inner wall runs along part of the outer wall, creating a narrow, 180-foot-long passageway.

The function of the Great Enclosure is not known, although it is thought to have served as a royal palace. Because of the presence of grooves in the walls (perhaps representing the female anatomy) and of phallic structures, some historians have postulated that the compound was used for adolescent initiation rites or for other important ceremonies. It may have also housed the many wives of the ruler. The great conical tower, which stands 30 feet high and is 18 feet in diameter at the base, appears not to have been used for any particular purpose and may have served a merely symbolic function.
The back of the wall is decorated with stone monoliths and a chevron pattern. The entrances were originally lintelled with wood. Most of the internal entrances have a pair of semi-circular projections that look like buttresses. However, the features seem not to have a structural function except that they narrow the entrance and prevent seeing through the enclosure. The same role seems to be played by the parallel passages found on the site. The main features are the platforms and house remain which survived the early excavations. The pictures below show the Great Enclosure and some parts inside the Great Enclosure.

The Great Enclosure

The outer wall of the Great encloser showing the chevron pattern of its top.

Inside the Great enclosure is the amazing conical tower

The passage way of the Great Enclosure

Some of the stone features inside the Great Enclosure

In addition to the Hill Complex and the Great Enclosure, Great Zimbabwe is made up of the smaller Valley Ruins. This series of compounds stands in the valley between the two larger structures. The walls seem to be youngest here, suggesting that these structures were built as the population expanded and Great Zimbabwe needed more residential space. Some archaeologists speculate that these curved extensions may have served to soften the approach to a doorway, or to have made passageways more complicated to navigate or perhaps even to have hidden rooms from direct view. They also may have served to control access to some areas, because people could have moved into the area in single file only. The stonework is, in certain places, astonishingly sophisticated: rounded steps grace some of the entrances, and chevron designs decorate some of the walls. The walls are also punctuated by drains and occasionally by four-foot wide doorways, some of which had wood lintels.
There is also the Shona Village which was constructed by the locals. It consists of pole and Dhaka huts. Here different traditional dances are performed, traditional songs are sang to entertain visitors. The Shona village as well as the museum gives a picture of how Africans lived during the pre-colonial, it is an original Zimbabwe’s master piece. Almost every aspect of the Shona tradition is fully explored here.

There are many artefacts that were found at Great Zimbabwe. One of which are the famous soapstone Zimbabwean birds, many of them 14 inches high. They have been found only at Great Zimbabwe, archaeologists and historians have been unable to determine their significance. The stone carved Zimbabwe bird is the national emblem of Zimbabwe appearing on the national flag and the coats of arms.

Great Zimbabwe is a national as well as a World heritage site, its outstanding universal value was recognized in 1986 by inscribing it as a World Heritage Site under the UNESCO World Heritage Convention. For a site to be included on the World Heritage list, it must at least meet one of the six criteria set out in the Convention. The inscription of Great Zimbabwe on the list was based on three of the criteria, as set out by the convention, namely:

•Represents a masterpiece of human creative genius • Bears a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared. • Be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. It is the main attraction for visitors to the town of Masvingo, its unique breath-taking features brings anxiety to visitors from all parts of the world to witness this great African civilisation. A variety of explorative excursions to the ruins are offered on daily basis, the guides are passionate and well-informed making for an extremely educational experience. On the tour you shall learn about the origins and the history as well as the eventual decline of this majestic city, whilst walking along the various trading routes. As your guide continues to impart knowledge of the city and its inhabitants social and religious practises you begin to feel as you have been transported back in time as you picture what was happening back then. Today Great Zimbabwe saves economic, social, spiritual and political purposes.

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