Great Zimbabwe: Facts 

On this page you can find ten quick facts about the Great Zimbabwe ruins.

1. One of the legends associated with the ruins is that it was a playground of giants.

2. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986.

3. There was no mortar used at all in this massive construction.

4. The Great Zimbabwe ruins sit on an area of 1780 acres (exactly 722 hectares).

5. It is believed that a maximum of 20,000 people lived inside its walls at its height.

6. For many decades, the ruins at Great Zimbabwe were described, by Europeans, as a perplexing 'mystery' and an ancient 'riddle,'.

They refused to believe that such a complex site was built by Africans who they considered to be lower people and attributed the site’s construction to foreign sources.

7. It was the center of the Kingdom of Mutapa.

8. Although the reasons of its decline are not certain, Great Zimbabwe was affected by environmental reasons like droughts for an extended period of time.

9. The Great Zimbabwe and the culture that flourished inside its walls declined by the 15th century.

10. The first European visitors arrived at the ruins in 1868.

• Great Zimbabwe Ruins
• Contemporary Political Implications
• Great Zimbabwe History
• Visit Great Zimbabwe Ruins
• Great Zimbabwe Photos