  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 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. |
