Zim Ruins

The Great Zimbabwe Ruins, said to be Africa’s second largest pre-historic structure after the Egyptian pyramids, is made up of the Hill Complex, the Valley Structures and the Great Enclosure. It was once a religious and political capital city.

Our guide told us that Zimbabwe means ‘the big house of stone’, apt given this huge maze of dry stone walls. The structures were built between the 13^th to 17^th centuries and were constructed without any cement. During excavation, they found eight layers of stone work, meaning there were eight Kings during this time.

The Hill Complex was the most fascinating. We walked up the steep Ancient Path through a narrow blood passage,

named appropriately as enemies that came through it would be killed by falling rocks or with spears and their blood would stain the walls. There was an even narrower passage, however, that the King would use to disappear mysteriously from his spot atop the ritual area.

All of us were waiting to see Garrett try and squeeze through the secret passage but he made it!