Great Zimbabwe
E39507
Great Zimbabwe is a medieval city in southeastern Zimbabwe renowned for its monumental stone structures and as the center of a powerful Shona-speaking kingdom that dominated regional trade between the 11th and 15th centuries.
Observed surface forms (12)
Statements (88)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
World Heritage Site
ⓘ
archaeological site ⓘ medieval city ⓘ ruined city ⓘ |
| archaeologicalEvidence |
cattle husbandry
ⓘ
gold working ⓘ iron smelting ⓘ long-distance trade goods ⓘ |
| areaOfSite | about 7 square kilometers ⓘ |
| associatedEthnicGroup |
Shona
ⓘ
surface form:
Shona people
|
| associatedKingdom |
Zimbabwe
ⓘ
surface form:
Kingdom of Zimbabwe
|
| builtBy | ancestors of the Shona people ⓘ |
| CatonThompsonFinding | confirmed indigenous African origin ⓘ |
| constructionMaterial | granite stone ⓘ |
| constructionTechnique | dry stone masonry ⓘ |
| continent | Africa ⓘ |
| country | Zimbabwe ⓘ |
| culture | Shona ⓘ |
| declineFactors |
environmental degradation
ⓘ
exhaustion of local resources ⓘ political fragmentation ⓘ shifts in trade routes ⓘ |
| distanceFromHarare | approximately 300 kilometers south ⓘ |
| distanceFromMasvingo | approximately 30 kilometers southeast ⓘ |
| earliestOccupation | c. 9th century ⓘ |
| endTime | c. 15th century ⓘ |
| estimatedPopulationAtPeak | 10,000 to 20,000 inhabitants ⓘ |
| excavatedBy | Gertrude Caton-Thompson ⓘ |
| excavationYear | 1929 ⓘ |
| function |
political capital
ⓘ
religious center ⓘ trade center ⓘ |
| hasStructure |
Great Enclosure
ⓘ
surface form:
Great Enclosure wall
daga (mud) houses ⓘ stone passageways ⓘ stone platforms ⓘ |
| heritageDesignation |
National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe
ⓘ
surface form:
National Monument of Zimbabwe
|
| importedGood |
Chinese porcelain
ⓘ
Persian ceramics ⓘ glass beads ⓘ textiles ⓘ |
| influenced |
Zimbabwe national identity
ⓘ
design of the Zimbabwe national flag ⓘ name of the modern state of Zimbabwe ⓘ |
| languageOfRulingElite |
Shona
ⓘ
surface form:
Shona language
|
| locatedIn |
Masvingo Province
ⓘ
southeastern Zimbabwe ⓘ |
| locatedNear | Masvingo ⓘ |
| locatedOn | Zimbabwe Plateau ⓘ |
| managedBy | National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe ⓘ |
| misattributedOriginInColonialPeriod |
Tarshish
ⓘ
surface form:
Biblical Ophir
Phoenician civilization ⓘ
surface form:
Phoenicians
ancient Arabs ⓘ |
| modernScholarlyConsensus | built by African Shona ancestors ⓘ |
| nearInfrastructure | Lake Mutirikwi ⓘ |
| nearWaterBody | Mutirikwi River ⓘ |
| notableFeature |
Great Enclosure
ⓘ
Hill Complex ⓘ Valley Ruins ⓘ conical tower ⓘ massive stone walls ⓘ |
| peakPeriod |
13th century
ⓘ
14th century ⓘ |
| periodOfFlourishing |
11th century
ⓘ
12th century ⓘ 13th century ⓘ 14th century ⓘ 15th century ⓘ |
| politicalRole | capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe ⓘ |
| region | Southern Africa ⓘ |
| religion | African traditional religion ⓘ |
| religiousFeature |
ritual enclosures
ⓘ
stone monoliths ⓘ |
| startTime | c. 11th century ⓘ |
| successorState |
Butua Kingdom
ⓘ
Mutapa Kingdom ⓘ |
| symbol | Zimbabwe Bird ⓘ |
| tourismAttraction | major tourist destination in Zimbabwe ⓘ |
| tradedCommodity |
cattle
ⓘ
gold ⓘ ivory ⓘ |
| tradeNetwork | Indian Ocean trade network ⓘ |
| UNESCOWorldHeritageCriteria |
(iii)
ⓘ
(vi) ⓘ |
| UNESCOWorldHeritageRegion | Africa ⓘ |
| UNESCOWorldHeritageSiteId | 364 ⓘ |
| UNESCOWorldHeritageStatus | inscribed ⓘ |
| UNESCOWorldHeritageYear | 1986 ⓘ |
Referenced by (29)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Great Zimbabwe National Monument
this entity surface form:
Great Zimbabwe culture
subject surface form:
Southeastern Zimbabwe
subject surface form:
Southeastern Zimbabwe
this entity surface form:
Great Zimbabwe National Monument vicinity
this entity surface form:
UNESCO World Heritage Site Great Zimbabwe
this entity surface form:
Great Zimbabwe plateau
this entity surface form:
UNESCO World Heritage Site Great Zimbabwe
subject surface form:
Southeastern Zimbabwe
this entity surface form:
Great Zimbabwe heritage area
this entity surface form:
Great Zimbabwe heritage site
this entity surface form:
Great Zimbabwe ruins
this entity surface form:
Great Zimbabwe ruins
subject surface form:
Masvingo
this entity surface form:
Great Zimbabwe ruins
this entity surface form:
Great Zimbabwe ruins
this entity surface form:
Great Zimbabwe (Masvingo) stone structures
this entity surface form:
Great Zimbabwe National Monument
this entity surface form:
Great Zimbabwe National Monument
this entity surface form:
Kingdom of Great Zimbabwe
this entity surface form:
Great Zimbabwe state
this entity surface form:
Great Zimbabwe area
this entity surface form:
Kingdom of Great Zimbabwe