The Great Zimbabwe is a ruined city in the south-eastern hills of Zimbabwe, near Lake Mutirikwe and the town of Masvingo.
It was the capital of the ancient Kingdom of Zimbabwe during the countrys Late Iron Age.
Construction of the magnificent monument was done by ancestors of the Shona people between the 11th century and the 15th century.
It occupies an area of 722 hectares, and is believed to have housed up to 18,000 people in its peak years.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognizes the ruins as a World Heritage Site.
The Great Zimbabwe served as a royal palace for the Zimbabwean monarch, and is said to have been the seat of political power.
It was surrounded by astoundingly high walls, some of which were five metres high, and which were constructed without mortar.
The most important artefacts recovered from the Monument are the eight Zimbabwe Birds. These were carved from a micaceous schist (soapstone) on the tops of monoliths the height of a person.
Other artefacts include soapstone figurines (one of which is in the British Museum), pottery, iron gongs, elaborately worked ivory, iron and copper wire, iron hoes, bronze spearheads, copper ingots and crucibles, and gold beads, bracelets, pendants and sheaths.
