Archaeology handicrafts and science and technology sites to visit Great Zimbabwe

Located in the valley, at the foot of the hill, this set consists of a 100 m diameter compound and 243 m circumference, the walls of which can reach 11 m height and 6 m thick. Great enclosure of sub-Saharan Africa, Great Enclosure, just like Hill Complex, was a royal palace whose function was not protective but ostentatious, it was to spread its wealth and power! He was probably served by the kingdom of the kingdom, as well as their children: Beads, bracelets, necklaces and even gold earrings were found during excavations. Built a century and a half after the hill complex, Great Enclosure represents the apogee of rozvi sculpture: if the walls, as in the other ensembles, have been constructed with cleverly woven stones, they appear more often decorated with chevron motifs and mainly a conical high tower, which appears as the most complete construction of Rozvi masonry. This tower, flanked by a similar conical building but much less imposing, is 10 m high and can be joined by a narrow corridor of 70 m in length. Since the discovery of the city, it has raised questions of researchers, who have not yet managed to agree on its exact origin and use: some see it as a phonic representation symbolizing fertility; others believe that it was used as a altar during the initiatic or religious ceremonies (at the top of the tower, a stone platform covered with charcoal and bone bones was found); Some still see it as a huge grain attic… if none of these theories has yet been verified, the design (O quel romantic) that the tower would have sheltered the royal treasure of Rozvi dynasties was categorically denied by some archeologists of dreams…

This part of the city, the first of its kind to be invested by local populations, represents a real architectural tower: rather than imposing the form of their constructions on the environment, the builders of the time have balanced their buildings from existing rocks. Stone walls and walls were built according to the configuration of rock overflows and granitic blocks. For example, faults were transformed into access corridors, a natural amphitheater became a ritual place, etc. The whole is located at the top of a hill, 80 m above the valley. He sheltered successive sovereigns from the kingdom as well as their advisers and mediums. In the eastern part of Hill Complex, some steps actually lead to a half-circle square dominated by a huge rock. It was undoubtedly served by courthouses, but mainly by religious centers: there were objects of ceremony in bronze, as well as six sculptures of birds in steatite. Three more or less dicus paths lead to the Hill Complex, from where you can have beautiful views of Great Enclosure.