If you’re looking for the largest archaeological site in Africa, look no farther than the roughly 1800-acre Great Zimbabwe. Portuguese explorers in the sixteenth century documented that Shona monarchs resided in these stone walls, which served as the hub of a thriving gold trade across the Indian Ocean.

If you’re looking for the largest archaeological site in Africa, look no farther than the roughly 1800-acre Great Zimbabwe. Portuguese explorers in the sixteenth century documented that Shona monarchs resided in these stone walls, which served as the hub of a thriving gold trade across the Indian Ocean.

Between 1100 and 1450, the monuments were constructed. Then, for several reasons, including a lengthy drought, internecine strife, and the arrival of a warlike population who plundered and destroyed everything in their path, the monuments were abandoned. Further, the location holds significant significance in the story of modern Zimbabwe’s fight for freedom and independence.

The spirit mediums of Zimbabwe’s national shrine on the hill complex were tasked with upholding the legacy of the country’s founding fathers, including Chaminuka, Chimurenga, Tovera, and Soro-rezhou. The Dziva-Hungwe priesthood, whose ancestry predates the Shona and whose country Chigwagu Rusvingo united under his leadership, was the first to hold this holy trust.