eBusiness Weekly
Tawanda Musarurwa
Huge granite stone bricks pile one upon another without mortar in between, yet in such perfect order; so perfect they have and will continue to stand the test of time, while propelling the wisdom of the architect to generations yonder.
These mind-boggling structures defy tourism magazine diction. Many can only call them ‘ruins’. Oh, but they often are described as such.
But, that’s simply because no human being still lives there, only lizards darting and disappearing into the crevices, birds and monkeys, now live in the ambience of the structure.
Great Zimbabwe is the name given to an ancient city in the south-eastern hills of Zimbabwe in the town of Masvingo, displaying meticulous architecture of Zimbabwe’s civilisation amassed over several centuries ago.
Its complex of massive stone walls spreads across almost 1 800 acres of land.
Historians contend that construction of the monuments began in the eleventh century A.D. by Bantu-speaking ancestors of the Shona and were worked on for more than 300 years. 300 years? Yes.
That probably explains the massive scale of its structure and what sets it apart from some 300 similar complexes dotted on the Zimbabwean plateau (think of Khami, Ziwa and Nalatale ruins as cases in point).
At first sight, the imposing structures are simply attractive and impressive as they are coated with grey lichen. My suggestion is: get a guide. You definitely need a guide before embarking on the adventure. The guide will help bring the monuments to life, with narratives and enlightenments of how things happened.
There are so many stories surrounding these ancient monuments; some very much in contradiction with what we have come to expect as normal. If you are lucky (or not) you may come across farcical stories of how the Great Zimbabwe National Monuments were built by aliens.
Aliens, really?
Well, the ‘ruins’ are that impressive, so I will take it as a compliment for our ancestors, if they used aliens as labourers, or it’s a case of descendants of some people elsewhere yearning to amass credit where it is not due.
And the alien story is probably the least of it. It is also said early European travellers from Germany, Portugal and Britain were astonished to learn of this powerful African civilisation in the interior of Southern Africa and (as you would expect) refused to give our ancestors their due credit.
The period the monuments were created and to visualise the technology used then to slice granite stones into bricks that would balance on each other without mortar in between them, could have amazed many people.
Renowned African historian Professor Manu Ampim says that the first European to visit Great Zimbabwe was a German geologist, Carl Mauch, in 1871.
Mauch refused to believe that indigenous Africans could have built such an extensive network of monuments made of granite stone.
He therefore assumed that the Great Zimbabwe National Monuments were created by biblical characters from the north.
“I do not think that I am far wrong if I suppose that the ruin on the hill is a copy of Solomon’s Temple on Mount Moriah and the building in the plain a copy of the palace where the Queen of Sheba lived during her visit to Solomon,” Mauch is quoted to have said.
Other narratives are that later Europeans also speculated that the monuments could have been built by Portuguese travellers, Arabs, Chinese, or Persians.
My take is that it’s all a testament to greatness, undiluted Zimbabwean civilization that was achieved over a length period.
But the fact remains that Great Zimbabwe is the skilled stone masonry of local indigenous Africans of the Bantu tribe.
Great Zimbabwe’s most outstanding edifice — the appropriately named ‘Great Enclosure’ — has walls as high as 36 feet extending approximately 820 feet.
Like granite itself, the ‘ruins’ are enduring!
The Lodge at the Ancient City
Now, of the Great Zimbabwe ruins were the main reasons for your visit, then this should be your very next stop!
The lodge is quintessentially emblematic of the ruins.
Its Great Zimbabwe-esque stone work and its expertly-crafted chevron pattern of thrush weaving are extremely enticing, especially after having spent your day moseying around the real ancient monuments, having followed paths trodden by past kings and chiefs.
So what better way to relax than to encamp deliciously comfortable analogous royal ruin residence.
The Lodge at the Ancient City has 19 chalets nestled between rounded granite boulders. Masvingo is granite territory (which half-explains the stunning stonework that is Great Zimbabwe), and it explains too this granite-defined lodge, which desegregates seamlessly with the surrounding trees and boulders of the site, while providing exquisite views across the valley of Msasa towards the ‘ruins’ (I personally think we should stop calling them that, but then again I proffer no suggestions).
The lodge’s pool area is expertly and tastefully built around huge boulders of balancing rocks.
