The mystery and attraction of Zimbabwe

The mystery and attraction of Zimbabwe

The mystery and attraction of Zimbabwe

Known locally as Mosi-oa-Tunya, The Smoke that Thunders, Victoria Falls was given its name by David Livingstone the English explorer that "discovered" it for the Europeans. Considered by many to be one of the seven natural wonders of the world, the falls are a major tourist attraction for both Zimbabwe and Zambia which are connected via a bridge which crosses the second gorge of the falls.

The bridge was the brainchild of Cecil John Rhodes whose life ambition was to connect Cape Town to Cairo with a railway line. His impatience for this dream was such that he started building the Zambian side of the railway line before the bridge was ever finished, and ended up dying before construction on the bridge even began. It was constructed as a foot, road and rail bridge that is still in use today. The bridge is now a tourist attraction in its own right with a 111m high bungee jump off of it. The bridge was closed frequently during the 1970's due to political reasons and during the 1980's weight restrictions for trucks and speed restrictions for trains were enforced due to concerns over the bridges integrity. Unfortunately due to continued political unrest Victoria fall is one of the only accessible places left for tourists wishing to enter Zimbabwe.

Thirty kilometres outside the town of Masvingo are the remains of the greatest ancient structure to be built in Sub Saharan Africa they have become known as the Zimbabwe ruins. The name Zimbabwe comes from the Shona word dzimbabwe which mean venerated houses. After independence the name was chosen to replace Rhodesia. Construction started on the ruins in the 11th century and continued for the next 300 years. They are the second oldest structure in Southern Africa after theMapungubwe ruins in the Limpopo province of South Africa. They were first discovered by Portuguese traders in the 16th century who did very little with the knowledge, in 1867 they were rediscovered by Adam Renders while on a hunting trip. The structures were of such vast stature and quality craftsmanship that the narrow minded colonials refused to believe that they were constructed by the local people. Amazingly there are still some people that hold onto the theory that they were constructed by Phoenician or Arab builders, constructed to resemble the palaces of the Queen of Sheba.

Since the 1950's there has been a general consensus that they were constructed by Southern African tribes. Why they left the settlement and let it go to ruin is still an area of debate, in this way it is very similar to the Ankor temple complex of Cambodia. While not quite on the same scale of grandeur they are equally mysterious. The Zimbabwe ruins are perhaps the greatest legacy left in Sub-Saharan Africa and the greatest pity ofall is how few people are even aware of their existence, even worse is that due to the current political climate even fewer people are able to appreciate them.

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