Great Zimbabwe

After a lunch of salads, pasta, cheese, and ham, we got back on the truck to visit the Great Zimbabwe Ruins, a World Heritage Site. It is a medieval city in the southeastern hills of Zimbabwe near Lake Mutirikwe. It is thought to have been the capital of a great kingdom during the Late Iron Age, about which little is known. Construction on the city began in the 9th century and continued until it was abandoned in the 15th century. The edifices you can see today were erected by ancestors of the Shona and other groups located in Zimbabwe and nearby countries. The stone city spans an area of 7.22 square kilometres and could have housed up to 18,000 people at its peak, giving it a population density of approximately 2,500 inhabitants per square kilometre.

Great Zimbabwe is believed to have served as a royal palace for the local monarch. As such, it would have been used as the seat of political power. Among the city's most prominent features were its walls, some of which are 11 metres high. They were constructed without mortar and are very impressive to see.

When we got there, we split into two groups (largely along old group/new group lines!) and had a guided tour of the site. Our guide, Stephen, was very knowledgeable, and we spent a very interesting couple of hours with him visiting the Great Enclosure, the Valley Enclosure, and the museum.

When it came to the Hill Complex, we went halfway up before turning round and heading back to the truck. Had we been on our own, we would have gone to the top at our own pace and admired the views from there, but, in the group, we didn’t want to hold the rest of them up. John, Trisha, and Greg had already gone back to the truck.

When everyone came down, we headed back to site where Henry had prepared pea and carrot soup (a new one of us, but very tasty!) followed by steak, fried potatoes, salad, and vegetables for dinner.

After our meal, Laban spoke to us all about his background and life story. It was really interesting to hear. He also tried to re-establish some order on the truck by asking the newbies from the other truck to put their packs in their lockers from tomorrow rather than in the compartments under the truck. I think his request fell on deaf ears!Read more