Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Order a flight of infused ya dong shots.
Tep Bar
Thai-Chinese makes up Bangkok’s largest diaspora.
Nai Ek Roll Noodle
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Chefs Aruss Lerlerstkull and Atcharaporn Kiatthanawat lean into regional traditions.
Charmgang
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
7 days ago
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
8 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
9 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
10 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Zimbabwe Masvingo Great Zimbabwe
AO Edited

Great Zimbabwe

The largest prehistoric ruins south of the Sahara, once a powerful center of international trade.

Masvingo, Zimbabwe

Added By
ser flac
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Great Zimbabwe ruins from above   Simonchihanga/CC BY-SA 4.0
Great Zimbabwe ruins from above   Simonchihanga/CC BY-SA 4.0
  Andrew Moore/CC BY-SA 2.0
  Andrew Moore/CC BY-SA 2.0
  Andrew Moore/CC BY-SA 2.0
The Conical Tower   Hans Hillewaert
Replica of one of the eight soapstone Zimbabwe Birds sculptures found at Great Zimbabwe   J. Patrick Fischer
The Hills Complex   Macvivo at en.wikipedia
Conical tower in the Great Enclosure   Marius Loots
Great Zimbabwe   andryn2006
Great Zimbabwe   vcp_de
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The ruins of this once-magnificent city are rich in historical significance, architectural wonders, and unsolved mysteries.

Until fairly recently, the origin of Great Zimbabwe was a contentious issue among Western archeologists, most of whom initially refused to believe such an impressive and complex structure could be the work of native Africans. When Portuguese traders first described the massive city in the 16th century, the site was popularly believed to be one of the fabled cities built by the Queen of Sheba. Nineteenth-century archeologists posited that the city was of Egyptian or Phoenician origin. With reasoning characteristic of the racial attitudes that defined the era of Western colonization of Africa, the presence of indigenous artifacts in the city was regarded as evidence not of the original builders, but of the subsequent occupation.

Attempts by Westerners to establish a non-African race as the city's original designers resulted in the removal and destruction of numerous original artifacts and a devastating loss of archeological evidence. Despite this loss, objective findings by 20th-century archeologists eventually led to the conclusion that the city was indeed of African origin, though such findings were later repressed in attempts to undermine the African Nationalist movement. Today the builders are widely recognized to be ancestors of the Shona tribe, one of the region's Bantu-speaking groups. The name "Zimbabwe" is said to have come from the phrase "dzimba dza mabwe” in the Karanga dialect, meaning roughly "houses of stone".  

Great Zimbabwe is estimated to have been built between 1100 and 1450 AD, and its ruins span roughly 1,800 acres. The city, which may have housed anywhere from 12,000 to 18,000 residents in its prime, is divided into three distinct architectural groups known as the Hill Complex, the Valley Complex, and the Great Enclosure. The Great Enclosure bears the distinction of being the largest sub-Saharan prehistoric structure and boasts an 800-foot-long outer wall. These walls, which reach heights of 32 feet, were constructed entirely without the use of mortar; the granite used in the walls' construction was split into blocks that fit together evenly and did not require the use of any kind of binding substance. Great Zimbabwe was once believed to be a hub of international trade, and artifacts recovered from the site were brought from as far away as China. Indigenous artifacts include eight large Zimbabwe birds carved from soapstone, which were believed to originally stand in the Eastern Enclosure of the Hill Complex.

Though the identity of the city's builders is no longer debated, many questions remain. The site, though well-positioned for trade, was not suited for the large-scale farming necessary to support the city's population, and it is speculated that the depletion of natural resources played a role in its eventual abandonment. Despite researchers' best guesses, however, the motivation behind the city's initial construction and its later abandonment by the original inhabitants remains a mystery. The purpose of some of the city's more prominent structures, such as the Conical Tower, also remains unknown.

Related Tags

History & Culture Racism Cities Indigenous Archaeology Ruins

Know Before You Go

The site is approximately half an hour from Masvingo by road. Access is possible via local minibus, as well as scheduled and chartered bus services. Masvingo is approximately five hours from Harare and three from Bulawayo.

Community Contributors

Added By

serflac

Edited By

Erin Everywhere, Collector of Experiences, Michelle Cassidy

  • Erin Everywhere
  • Collector of Experiences
  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

July 14, 2013

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/mysteries-of-great-zimbabwe.html
  • http://archive.archaeology.org/9807/abstracts/africa.html
  • https://books.google.ca/books?id=TV-0AaV_4EsC&pg=PA232&lpg=PA232&dq=%E2%80%9CDzimba+dza+mabwe&source=bl&ots=zor9pdD8AZ&sig=27xd4w6BlsQJPIGJBs9w4WENxsg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj9q8WK89nVAhVWzGMKHUAzBlY4ChDoAQhAMAY#v=onepage&q=%E2%80%9CDzimba%20dza%20mabwe&f=false
  • http://www.greatzimbabweguide.com/great-zimbabwe-monument-travel-guide/
Great Zimbabwe
Masvingo
Zimbabwe
-20.25962, 30.936012

Nearby Places

Italian Chapel of Saint Francis of Assisi

Masvingo, Zimbabwe

miles away

Daramombe Rock Paintings

Chivhu, Zimbabwe

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

Africa

Places 4
Stories 3

Nearby Places

Italian Chapel of Saint Francis of Assisi

Masvingo, Zimbabwe

miles away

Daramombe Rock Paintings

Chivhu, Zimbabwe

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

Africa

Places 4
Stories 3

Related Stories and Lists

Great Zimbabwe

Podcast

By The Podcast Team

Related Places

  • The ruins of El Cuartelejo.

    Scott City, Kansas

    El Cuartelejo

    The ruins of the northernmost pueblo in the Americas tell the story of a mixing of native cultures.

  • Montezuma Well

    Rimrock, Arizona

    Montezuma Well

    This sinkhole in the Arizona desert is filled with carbonated, arsenic-rich water

  • Abo kiva in foreground, church in background

    Mountainair, New Mexico

    Salinas Pueblo Missions

    The remains of Abó, Gran Quivera, and Qurai are monuments to the long, complicated history of the Indigenous people of the Southwest.

  • Royal Palace of King Maha Parakramabahu.

    Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka

    Ancient City of Polonnaruwa

    This site was once the religious, cultural, and trade center of Sri Lanka.

  • The city pillar

    Vientiane, Laos

    Hor Lak Muang

    The site of an ancient city pillar that was lost and rediscovered.

  • Ruins of the church in Dvorine from above.

    Banja, Serbia

    Dvorine

    The remains of a luxurious 14th-century church built by the last despot of Serbia.

  • Dhamnihawa Stupas

    Kapilvastu, Nepal

    Dhamnihawa Stupas

    A pair of stupas that archaeologists believe were built to honor the parents of Siddhartha Gautama (aka Lord Buddha).

  • My Son Santuary temple

    Duy Xuyên District, Vietnam

    My Son Sanctuary

    Showcasing some of the best-preserved temples of the Champa Kingdom.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.