This post discusses the cultural heritage in Zimbabwe and further discusses the heritage sites that can be found in Zimbabwe.
CULTURAL HERITAGE IN ZIMBABWE
ROCK ART & ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE
Zimbabwe is home to 15,000 rock art and engraving sites, of which many are unique to the country with few examples found in the rest of Southern Africa. Although carbon dating has not been performed on the rock art found on the Malilangwe Reserve it is known that sandstone rock art has a lifespan of approximately 6,000 years. With this known fact, it is believed that the rock art on Malilangwe would be 700 to 2,000 years old. We have discovered 121 individual rock art sites on the Reserve.
Read: PROVINCES OF ZIMBABWE
The rock paintings of Malilangwe are largely monochrome red, primarily due to the availability of red pigments in the area. The paint was made by grinding red oxide into a powder and mixing it with a binding agent such as blood or egg white. The motifs were then painted onto the rocks using brushes made from animal hair, sticks, or feathers.
There are three types of rock art on Malilangwe: Iron age art, herder art, and San rock art. Experts believe that the images portrayed in much of the San rock art are symbolic rather than being a literal record of events. At Malilangwe as many characteristics are either rare or have not previously been recorded have been discovered. The Trust continues to focus on recording and understanding these priceless archaeological treasures, which so fittingly provide an account of the ancient cultural heritage of the area.
KAMBAKO LIVING MUSEUM OF BUSHCRAFT
At the Kambako Living Museum of Bushcraft, the aim is to “preserve the past to enrich the future.” The museum showcases the bushcraft skills that have enabled the local Shangaan people to sustain themselves in their natural environment for centuries. A tour of the museum takes visitors on a historic journey through time. Visitors will learn more about the Shangaan people’s intimate knowledge of their natural resources and in-depth understanding of animal behavior, which made it possible for them to survive as hunter-gatherers until the recent past. A fascinating hands-on presentation shows how they made a fire, gathered caloric staples, weaved baskets to carry food, and trapped and hunted animals. The transition during the Iron Age to their current agro-pastoral lifestyle is also discussed. The methods used by the Shangaan are compared with other cultures around the world, and the link between primitive skills and modern technological development is discussed. The adaptability and ingenuity of the human spirit are emphasized throughout the tour, and the pros and cons of the Shangaan way of life are discussed in relation to modern first-world existence.
To the Trust, the museum is an invaluable record of traditional culture in the area. It serves not only as an attraction to visitors to Malilangwe but also as an important part of the curriculum of Malilangwe’s conservation education programs.
HERITAGE SITES OF ZIMBABWE
Heritage Sites in Zimbabwe include 3 cultural and 2 natural sites. A Heritage Site is a natural or cultural site that the world community regards as having immense universal value.
Zimbabwe Has Five Heritage Sites:
Mana Pools (Natural)
Khami Ruins National Monument (Cultural)
Great Zimbabwe Ruins (Cultural)
Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls (Natural)
Matobo Hills (Cultural)
MANA POOLS – DATE OF INSCRIPTION 1984
Mana Pools, one of the Heritage Sites in Zimbabwe, is a wildlife conservation area and consists of three different areas: Mana Pools National Park and the Sapi and Chewore Safari Areas. Situated in the Zambezi valley, this is a remote and spectacular area with magnificent views of the Zambezi River and mountains of the Rift Valley over in Zambia.
Mana means “four” in Shona which are the Main, Chine, Long and Chisambuk pools. Mana Pools is among the least developed National Parks in Zimbabwe but is renowned for its game-viewing. Large concentrations of buffalo and elephant are found along the river’s edges, while predators such as lions, wild dogs, leopards, hyenas and cheetah are often sighted. Greater kudu, Burchell’s zebra, impala, warthog and common waterbuck can be seen on the plains. Mana Pools offers fantastic birding with over 300 species recorded.
GREAT ZIMBABWE – DATE OF INSCRIPTION 1986
The Great Zimbabwe ruins with its massive curving walls, constructed from millions of granite blocks fitted together without mortar, hosts the largest stone structures south of the pyramids.
Great Zimbabwe, which means “houses of stone”, is an ancient city situated 30 kilometers from Masvingo, Zimbabwe. Awe inspiring, majestic and timeless, these structures were built by indigenous African people between AD 1250 and AD 1450. At the height of its power, Great Zimbabwe had over 18,000 inhabitants. Great Zimbabwe was a main trading center and associated with gold trading. Fragments of Persian and Chinese pottery have also been found at this ancient site.
MOSI-OA-TUNYA / VICTORIA FALLS – DATE OF INSCRIPTION 1989
Victoria Falls is one of the natural Heritage Sites in Zimbabwe and one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the world. The Victoria Falls are 1708m wide and drop 99m at its highest point, making it the largest sheet of falling water in the world when the Zambezi River is at its fullest. Twice the height of Niagara Falls and one and a half times wider, the Victoria Falls are divided into five separate waterfalls: Devil’s Cataract, Main Falls, Horseshoe Falls, Rainbow Falls and Eastern Cataract.
Victoria Falls (also known as Mosi-oa-Tunya, “the smoke that thunders”) seen by David Livingstone, the first European to see the falls, named it in honor of Queen Victoria. He was so impressed by what he saw that he described the falls saying “scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight.”
Peak floodwaters usually occur during April when approximately 625 million liters per minute cascade over the edge per minute. The resulting spray rises up to 1650 feet into the air that can be seen more than 20 km away. During this time there is so much water flowing that the spray makes it quite difficult to see the falls.
KHAMI RUINS NATIONAL MONUMENT – DATE OF INSCRIPTION 1986
The Khami Ruins are the second most important archaeological site in Zimbabwe after the Great Zimbabwe Ruins. Khami developed and grew between 1450 and 1650 after the capital of Great Zimbabwe had been abandoned.
Both ruins belonged to the same cultural tradition and have the same layout in sectors, between the chief’s residence and an open area with huts for the majority of the population. Imported goods like Ming porcelain and Spanish silverware were found, which shows that Khami was a major centre for trade over a long period of time.
The Khami Ruins, one of the Heritage Sites in Zimbabwe, are a national monument and are an impressive but unknown attraction in Zimbabwe.
MATOBO HILLS – DATE OF INSCRIPTION 2003
The Matobo Hills, another of the Heritage Sites in Zimbabwe, are home to an outstanding collection of rock paintings, the largest in southern Africa. The large boulders provide abundant natural shelters and have been associated with human occupation from the early Stone Age.
The Matobo Hills and caves of the area are renowned for the 20,000 cave paintings and petroglyphs that can be found there, which date from as far back as 13,000 years ago. The unusual hill formations that dot the landscape are called “Bald Heads” by the local people.
