How it began
Great Zimbabwe was constructed between the 11th and 15th centuries by ancestors of the Shona people and was inhabited until about 1450. It is the leading example among more than 400 zimbabwes, or houses of stone, in present-day Zimbabwe and South Africa. The Hill Ruin dates to approximately 1250, and the Great Enclosure was completed in about 1450.
How it works
All the walls were built from granite hewn locally. The method is dry-stone masonry, which relies on the careful layering of stones without mortar or any other binding agent. The outer wall of the Great Enclosure reaches 32 feet in places, and a second wall inside runs parallel to it, forming a narrow passage that leads to a conical tower. The walls include turrets and monoliths. They likely had no military function; many sections have gaps and interrupted arcs.
What changed first
The stone enclosures expressed the power and prestige of the rulers. At its peak the settlement held about 250 royal houses of clay and, by different estimates, 10,000 to 20,000 people. Its economy rested on cattle, and it prospered from gold carried to the Indian Ocean port of Sofala. Excavations have found Chinese porcelain, beads from Southeast Asia and copper ingots from the Zambezi region.
What lasted
By about 1500 Great Zimbabwe's political and economic influence had waned; suggested causes include drought, succession disputes and livestock disease. The site gave its name to the modern country, which was renamed Zimbabwe after independence. The patterned masonry also inspired the facades of the Eastgate Centre in Harare.
Where it stands today
Great Zimbabwe is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The walls need specialized maintenance, and a masonry team keeps them standing with dry-stone techniques passed down from father to son. The site holds deep significance for local clans, including the Charumbira, Mugabe, Murinye and Nemanwa.
