The monument of Great Zimbabwe is arguably the most famous, man-made stone building in Southern Africa. Found a little less than 30 kms south-east of Masvingo, and built of rectangular granite stones carefully placed upon one another, the ruins of Great Zimbabwe are testament to an amazing development.
Every year the ruins attract thousands of visitors from across the globe, all seeking to look upon this archaic structure, which covers an area of 720 hectares, and was once the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe. Great Zimbabwe is a unique testament to the Shona tribe between the AD 1100 and AD 1500.
It is divided into three groups: the Hill Ruins, the Great Enclosure and the Valley Ruins. The Great Enclosure is, by far, the most popular of the three, and stands as the largest single prehistoric structure south of the Sahara. Its elliptical Outer Wall is more than 250 metres long, and contains an estimated 182,000 cubic feet of stone – more than all of the site’s other ruins combined. It is believed that this magnificent structure was a royal residence to inhabitants of the city.
