Relics of the incredible city of antiquated Zimbabwe that Europe attempted to eradicate

The great city of Dam Zimbabwe was an architectural masterpiece. However, archaeologists have attributed its construction sometimes to the Phoenicians, sometimes to the Babylonians, and sometimes to the Arabs, except for the Africans who originally built it.

The experience of walking up to the majestic walls of Great Zimbabwe makes you feel like a very vulnerable person. The closer I got to them, the more dwarfed I felt before them - and yet I was drawn to this archaeological site by its magnetism. It did not feel like an abandoned or dilapidated walled city or fortress that one might see in a historically developed city in Europe. It was a place in Great Zimbabwe where people lived and worked, a place where they came - and still do - to worship. Looking at this ancient city, it seems that life is going on here even today. Great Zimbabwe is the name of the extensive stone remains of an ancient city that was built between 1100 and 1450 AD near the modern-day city of Masfengu (Masongo) in Zimbabwe. The construction of the city is believed to be the work of the Shona (who make up the majority of Zimbabwe's population today) and possibly other societies that migrated throughout the region at different periods of history. The city was large and powerful, with a population equal to the population of London at the time. Twenty thousand people lived in this city during its heyday. Great Zimbabwe was part of a sophisticated trade network (Arab, Indian and Chinese trade goods were all found at the site), and its architectural design was striking: massive stone walls and towers, with Most of them are still standing. However, for nearly a century, European colonizers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries gave credit for its construction to outsiders and settlers, rather than to Africans themselves.

Indeed, the author of the first written European record of Great Zimbabwe seems baffled by the idea that such a city could even have been built. The Portuguese explorer João de Boros wrote in 1552 that '(the walls) are built of masonry both inside and outside, which are made of stones of a magnificent size, and seem to have used no building materials. has been done.' Tourists to Great Zimbabwe can still explore three parts of this ancient city: the Hill Ruins (the oldest, believed to be a royal city with the Acropolis); The Great Wall (surrounded by a large, high wall and 11-meter high conical minarets) and the Valley Ruins (a collection of mud-brick houses where the majority of the ancient city's population lived). Author, poet and heritage expert Cynthia Marangonda, who has written about Zimbabwe's national identity, explains that 'some people want to call it 'the ruins of Great Zimbabwe', but I disagree: considering that Despite the European interference it has endured, it still stands very well.' The ancient city of Great Zimbabwe , image source GETTY IMAGES , image caption Great Zimbabwe was built between 1100 and 1450 AD and was a large and powerful city. In the Shona language, Zimbabwe roughly translates to 'house of stone', and due to the size and extent of the site, it became known as Great Zimbabwe. Also this was not the only 'Zimbabwe', the remains of about 200 small settlements or trading inns are scattered across the region from Namibia's Kalahari Desert to Mozambique. Skip to content The podcast Drama Queen Drama Queen Hear the never-to-be-shared stories on the 'Drama Queen' podcast Episodes Skip to content The location of Great Zimbabwe in these settlements has been widely debated, according to Manyaradzi Manenga, professor of archeology and cultural heritage at the University of Great Zimbabwe. Some have speculated that it was the capital of a large state, but Min Yenga does not think so. (If there were such estates, they would be) very large. No one could manage such a range and size. So most interpretations speak of them as having been influenced by the Great Zimbabwe.' He further said that the Kingdom of Zimbabwe is considered to be a country consisting of Great Zimbabwe and smaller settlements located near it. One of the most prominent features of the site are its walls. As Min Yanga explained, 'The style and scale of the dry stone walls that make up Great Zimbabwe are unmatched anywhere else in Africa and beyond.' The walls of the great city are 6 meters wide and 11 meters high, and they run for about 250 meters, making the wall the largest man-made structure in sub-Saharan Africa and the second largest on the continent in terms of total area. The largest structure, while the first large man-made structure in terms of area, is the Pyramids of Egypt. The ancient city of Great Zimbabwe , image source GETTY IMAGES , image caption The granite stone walls are still intact and no architectural mortar has been used to hold them in place. The walls, which are made of granite, are still standing in perfect condition and no architectural mortar has been used to hold them in place. . 'Granite quarrying, taking advantage of the natural process of weathering,' said Mun Yinga