Great Zimbabwe is a ruined city that was once the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe, which existed during the country’s Late Iron Age. The monument, which first began to be constructed in the 11th century and which continued to be built until the 14th century, spanned an area of 722 hectares (1,784 acres) and at its peak could have housed up to 18,000 people. Great Zimbabwe acted as a royal palace for the Zimbabwean monarch and would have been used as the seat of their political power. One of its most prominent features were its walls, some of which were over five metres high and which were constructed without mortar. Eventually the city was largely abandoned and fell into ruin. The builders of this kingdom have never been confirmed, research and ‘opinion’ has proposed many possibilities. All the possibilities are of interest to us. The ruins are south of Harare, near the town of Masvingo, the former Fort Victoria.
