The Great Zimbabwe is the center of an abandoned city, which existed around 600 years ago or longer. It includes a protective fortress for the king, Queen, all of his wives, their respective families and the military. They estimate that at the peak of the civilization, there were approximately 18,000 residents in the city. To get to where the king resided, one had to climb a flight of stairs to a height of approximately 200 feet. I was surprised at how well we did. Though my legs ached a little from fatigue, I did not become winded. On top of an outcropping of large boulders, walls, stairs and other formations were constructed with well-placed rock. From this vantage point, the King and his watchmen could see all around the valley. The unique thing about the construction was that no mortar was used to cement the stones together. It obviously is a good construction method, as the tall walls have stood intact for centuries. The rock was obtained by building fire on top of the exposed granite, which is plentiful in the area. Water was then poured over the heated rock, causing it to fracture. As I understand it, with a little help from some hand tools, the rock was easily be broken into rectangular sections, just the right size for stacking. Some of the walls were approximately 18 feet wide at the base, six feet or so at the top and as high as 25 feet. Some of the lower walls used for residential boundaries (around five feet in height) were knocked down, but the large walls were still in tack. We were informed that the only restoration accomplished was to the entryways, where the wooden lintels had failed over time.
