Legend has it that this was once a playground for the giants -- and
for visitors gazing over this steep hill in southern Zimbabwe it's easy
to understand why.
Spread around in every
direction, great jumbled blocks of granite rise from the ground to
create spectacular rock formations, their fantastical shapes fashioned
by centuries of wind and rain, of heat and cold. Stacked upon one
another, such boulders are scattered haphazardly across the southern
African country -- Zimbabwe is indeed home to one of Africa's most
breathtaking landscapes.
Map: click to enlarge
Living here amongst the
boulders, in the hills of Masvingo province, the Zimbabwean people are
largely Shona. Sometimes known as Bantu, they form three quarters of the
country's population.
Shona people first
settled in the region more than 1,000 years ago and for centuries
flourished in the region's lush green savannah plains. Central to their
prosperity was the ancient town of Great Zimbabwe, the capital of a
booming trading empire that flourished between the 11th and 15th
centuries, extending over the gold-rich plateau in southern Africa.
Located some 30
kilometers from the modern Zimbabwean town of Masvingo, the stone ruins
of Great Zimbabwe are today one of the continent's most impressive
monuments, linking the present with the past.
A UNESCO World Heritage site since 1986, the archeological remains contain the largest ancient structure in sub-Saharan Africa.
the method of construction in Great Zimbabwe is unique in the
continent's architecture and although there are cases of similar work
elsewhere, none are as exceptional and imposing as here.
The first thing that
draws the visitor's eye is the high level of craftmanship that went into
the construction of the site. Skillful stonemasons built massive
dry-stone walls, incorporating large natural boulders into some of the
structures. Walls extend between rocky outcrops and massive rocks,
forming a maze of narrow passageways and the enclosures.
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