• Healing the past

    Healing the past

    Rehabilitation of the Great Zimbabwe World Heritage site is scheduled to begin at soon.

    The project will be focused on the Great Enclosure, which dates back to the 14th century, and includes plans to rebuild the wall surrounding the world-famous structure, with the possibility of installing a sophisticated wall-monitoring system. The invasive lantana camara weed species will also be removed, as it is proving detrimental to the sturdiness of the site’s dry wall.

    According to UNESCO, the Great Zimbabwe National Monument was built between 1100 and 1450 AD. Spanning close to 800 ha, the site is divided into the Hill Ruins, the Great Enclosure and the Valley Ruins.

    Rehabilitation is being funded with the help of a US$475 000 donation made by the US government to the World Monument Fund.

    The Great Zimbabwe Monument was built by the Shona tribe and declared a World Heritage Site in 1986.

    6 August 2019
    Image: Gallo/Getty Images