Forgotten Bantu Civilisation - Part 1

From my interest of learning about African tribes, I came to know about the Bantu people. This community of people still live in the east and southern parts of Africa. They had a kingdom and used to rule the southern part of Africa. Their history and heritage gave rise to a lot of interest in me. When I got an opportunity to visit South Africa and Zimbabwe in May 2016, I did not want to miss the chance of visiting the Bantu kingdom’s capital. The place is known as Great Zimbabwe. It is now a ruined city in the south-eastern hills of Zimbabwe. Construction of the city began in the 11th Century and continued until the 15th Century. The exact identity of the builders of Great Zimbabwe is unknown. The most popular modern archaeological theory is that the edifices were erected by the ancestors of the Bantu people. The place was recognised in 1986 as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The city itself was a religious centre where the Shona people worshipped their main god, Mwari.

The location of Great Zimbabwe is near Lake Mutirikwe in present-day Zimbabwe. It is located between two major rivers, Zambezi on the north and Limpopo to the south. The site is situated on a high plateau, measuring over 3,250 feet (990 metres). It is about 30 km southeast of Masvingo city. The central area of ruins extends to about 80 hectares, making Great Zimbabwe the largest of more than 150 major stone ruins scattered across the countries of Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

 After completing a five-day tour of South Africa with one of my colleagues, I was in Pretoria, the administrative capital, on May 21, 2016. We booked tickets on a double-decker Greyhound luxury bus and our destination was Masvingo city in Zimbabwe. We left Pretoria around 11:30 at night. Our travelling distance was around 800 kilometres. The bus was heading northwards. The name of the bordering city between South Africa and Zimbabwe is Beitbridge. Around 18 km short of Beitbridge was Messina city and the bus had a halt there. A large Bengali community lives there and controls most of the commerce of the city and border trade as well. We reached Beitbridge around 5:30 am the following day. Here, to my utter surprise, I found many people knew about Bangladesh through our national cricket team.

After completing immigration formalities at the border, our journey started for Masvingo city. It was a nice sun-drenched morning. As we were travelling on the upper deck of the bus, we could see the surroundings very clearly. It was open, green and very beautiful all along. At some places we noticed electrified wire netting around large areas. We saw notice boards with warnings to beware of wild animals. We were very unfortunate not to see any animals, other than a few elephants. It gave us a feeling of wildlife safari.

We reached Masvingo around 10 am. We got down from the bus and freshened up at a nearby hotel. Then we hired a taxi and started for Great Zimbabwe. Just outside the main entrance, there is a 3.5 star hotel, named Hotel Great Zimbabwe. We bought tickets and entered the main complex of Great Zimbabwe. Close to the entrance was a museum. By paying an additional US$ 20, anybody can take photos inside. We went inside and came to know many things about the ruined city.

 The Great Zimbabwe site was settled around 350 AD by Shona-speaking Bantu farmers. They migrated to this elevated plateau region to avoid tsetse flies, which can kill both people and cattle by causing ‘sleeping sickness’.  It was the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe during the country's late Iron Age. At its peak, the stone city could have housed up to 18,000 people. Between the 4th and 7th centuries, Gokomere or Ziwa communities farmed the valley, but did not built any stone structures. The cattle-herding people became adept at metal-working. Different parts of the city were inhabited at different times, starting from around 900 AD.  Eventually, developments led to the formation of the Great Zimbabwe state at the end of the 11th Century.  Some myth says it was the capital of the Queen of Sheba.

Their economy was based on cattle husbandry, crop cultivation and trading in gold along the coast of the Indian Ocean. Great Zimbabwe was the heart of a thriving trading empire from 11th to 15th centuries. Main trading items were gold, iron, copper, tin, cattle, and cowrie shells.  Great Zimbabwe became a centre for trading, with artefacts suggesting that the city formed part of a trade network extending as far as China. We saw some Persian pottery and old Sumerian and Babylonian coins from 300 BC in the museum.

Great Zimbabwe was an important commercial and political centre. In addition to being in the heart of an extensive commercial and trading network, the site was also the centre of a powerful political kingdom, which was under a central ruler from around 1100 AD to 1450 AD.

The writer is a civil engineer and a serving military officer, Photos: Writer, Internet To be continued.

Forgotten Bantu Civilisation - Part 1

From my interest of learning about African tribes, I came to know about the Bantu people. This community of people still live in the east and southern parts of Africa. They had a kingdom and used to rule the southern part of Africa. Their history and heritage gave rise to a lot of interest in me. When I got an opportunity to visit South Africa and Zimbabwe in May 2016, I did not want to miss the chance of visiting the Bantu kingdoms capital. The place is known as Great Zimbabwe. It is now a ruined city in the south-eastern hills of Zimbabwe. Construction of the city began in the 11th Century and continued until the 15th Century. The exact identity of the builders of Great Zimbabwe is unknown. The most popular modern archaeological theory is that the edifices were erected by the ancestors of the Bantu people. The place was recognised in 1986 as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The city itself was a religious centre where the Shona people worshipped their main god, Mwari. The location of Great Zimbabwe is near Lake Mutirikwe in present-day Zimbabwe. It is located between two major rivers, Zambezi on the north and Limpopo to the south. The site is situated on a high plateau, measuring over 3,250 feet (990 metres). It is about 30 km southeast of Masvingo city. The central area of ruins extends to about 80 hectares, making Great Zimbabwe the largest of more than 150 major stone ruins scattered across the countries of Zimbabwe and Mozambique. After completing a five-day tour of South Africa with one of my colleagues, I was in Pretoria, the administrative capital, on May 21, 2016. We booked tickets on a double-decker Greyhound luxury bus and our destination was Masvingo city in Zimbabwe. We left Pretoria around 11:30 at night. Our travelling distance was around 800 kilometres. The bus was heading northwards. The name of the bordering city between South Africa and Zimbabwe is Beitbridge. Around 18 km short of Beitbridge was Messina city and the bus had a halt there. A large Bengali community lives there and controls most of the commerce of the city and border trade as well. We reached Beitbridge around 5:30 am the following day. Here, to my utter surprise, I found many people knew about Bangladesh through our national cricket team. After completing immigration formalities at the border, our journey started for Masvingo city. It was a nice sun-drenched morning. As we were travelling on the upper deck of the bus, we could see the surroundings very clearly. It was open, green and very beautiful all along. At some places we noticed electrified wire netting around large areas. We saw notice boards with warnings to beware of wild animals. We were very unfortunate not to see any animals, other than a few elephants. It gave us a feeling of wildlife safari. We reached Masvingo around 10 am. We got down from the bus and freshened up at a nearby hotel. Then we hired a taxi and started for Great Zimbabwe. Just outside the main entrance, there is a 3.5 star hotel, named Hotel Great Zimbabwe. We bought tickets and entered the main complex of Great Zimbabwe. Close to the entrance was a museum. By paying an additional US$ 20, anybody can take photos inside. We went inside and came to know many things about the ruined city. The Great Zimbabwe site was settled around 350 AD by Shona-speaking Bantu farmers. They migrated to this elevated plateau region to avoid tsetse flies, which can kill both people and cattle by causing sleeping sickness. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe during the countrys late Iron Age. At its peak, the stone city could have housed up to 18,000 people. Between the 4th and 7th centuries, Gokomere or Ziwa communities farmed the valley, but did not built any stone structures. The cattle-herding people became adept at metal-working. Different parts of the city were inhabited at different times, starting from around 900 AD. Eventually, developments led to the formation of the Great Zimbabwe state at the end of the 11th Century. Some myth says it was the capital of the Queen of Sheba. Their economy was based on cattle husbandry, crop cultivation and trading in gold along the coast of the Indian Ocean. Great Zimbabwe was the heart of a thriving trading empire from 11th to 15th centuries. Main trading items were gold, iron, copper, tin, cattle, and cowrie shells. Great Zimbabwe became a centre for trading, with artefacts suggesting that the city formed part of a trade network extending as far as China. We saw some Persian pottery and old Sumerian and Babylonian coins from 300 BC in the museum. Great Zimbabwe was an important commercial and political centre. In addition to being in the heart of an extensive commercial and trading network, the site was also the centre of a powerful political kingdom, which was under a central ruler from around 1100 AD to 1450 AD. The writer is a civil engineer and a serving military officer, Photos: Writer, Internet To be continued.