THE GREAT ZIMBABWE : AFRICAN HISTORICAL TRADING EMPIRE.
…Despite its historical importance and its nationalistic role, It plays a role as one of the tourist attractions in the country...archaeologists visit the ruins for further historical information and studies.
Brief History
Great Zimbabwe was a medieval African city known for its large circular wall and tower. It was part of a wealthy African trading empire that controlled much of the East African coast from the 11th to the 15th centuries.
Great Zimbabwe is the name of the stone ruins of an ancient city near modern-day Masvingo, Zimbabwe. It is believed that people lived in Great Zimbabwe beginning around 900 years ago but abandoned it in the early 16th century. The city was the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe, which was a Shona trading empire during the time, and so this brings us to the meaning of Zimbabwe, which in translation from Shona means “STONE HOUSES”
Why is it called “Great”?
The word ‘Great’ distinguishes the site from other many small ruins spread across the Zimbabwe Highveld in which there are around 200 such sites in southern Africa including the famous Bumbusi in Zimbabwe and Manyikeni in Mozambique, with monumental and mortarless walls.
Construction and the View
The construction of the city began in the 9th century and continued until it was abandoned in the late 15th and early 16th century. The edifices were erected by ancestors of the Shona and other groups located in Zimbabwe. This stone city spans an area of 7.22 square kilometres (2.79 square miles) and could have housed up to 18,000 people at its peak, giving it a population density of approximately 2,500 per square kilometre.
The distribution and number of houses suggest that Great Zimbabwe boasted a large population, between 10,000–20,000 people being one of the most populated areas during the time.
According to National Geographic Org, The archaeological site at Great Zimbabwe consists of several sections; The first section is the Hill Complex, believed to have been the religious center of the site which is the oldest part of Great Zimbabwe with structural ruins built on the steepest hill of the site and shows signs of construction that date to around 900 years ago.
The Second section is the Great Enclosure which is a walled, circular area below the Hill Complex dating to the 14th century. The walls are over 9.7 meters (32 feet) high in places, While the function of this enclosure is not well known but archeologists suggest it could have been a royal residence or a symbolic grain storage facility.
The third section is The Valley Ruins consist of a significant number of houses made mostly of mud-brick near the Great Enclosure.
What about Great Zimbabwe’s economy ?
The Great Zimbabwe did not only locked herself under the Great walls but involved in exportation of luxury goods such as ornaments, gold, cattle, artworks in trading with the ancient Kilwa, China, India, Persia and the Arabs. It’s economy as well based on cattle husbandry and crop cultivation, mining and weapons and pottery with involvement in long distance trade and local trade with other empires in Africa like Buganda, Kilwa, Nyamwezi, Egypt and many others that made Zimbabwe among the hearts trade in Africa from the 11th to the 15th centuries.
Let’s talk about leadership structure!
Like other kingdoms in the world the State of Zimbabwe in the beginning had a low population but due to social interaction in trade and production, later on the population increased to about 20,000 people during the time this was a stepping stone towards classification and as well division of labour making it a centralised state.
It was a centralised state governed by a strong authority of chiefs who were known as Mambos. Some historians say these chiefs were not under one ruler but ruled in small groups of communities (chiefdoms) in the Great Zimbabwe Enclosure. These Mambos had great power in trade. They owned cattle and land and controlled the livestock and farming around the state. The mambos also imposed taxes on other members of the community.
The ruling class lived inside the Great Enclosure while the ruled (lower class) lived in the valleys. The higher class lived separately from the lower class to preserve their status ( Even the food was socially different the Mambo families had plenty of luxurious food such as beef and milk while the lower class families ate the so called lower class food like vegetables)
Legacy
In the late 19th century numerous soapstone figurines in the form of a bird were found in the ruins; and later (the bird) became a national symbol, incorporated into the Zimbabwe flag and shown in other places of high honour.
Great Zimbabwe has become a national monument and was designated a World Heritage site in 1986. Despite its historical importance and its nationalistic role, It plays a role as one of the tourist attractions in the country, and different historical archaeologists visit the ruins for further historical information and studies.
