Africa’s Greatest Mystery

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 2 March 1935, Page 12

Africa’s Greatest Mystery

o£ Rider Haggard’s hooka

w-ill remember -how he w-eaves a fascinating story round a mysterious ancient city in Africa, inhabited by a light-coloured - people. Being recently in Africa, 1" was anxious, like Alan Quartermnin, to see this wonderful city, writes John Powell in the Sydney Morning Heraid. These enticing stories, while mere fiction, were woven round the mysterious Zimbabwe ruins, in- the south-east of Soutnern Mashonaland. The origin of the ruins is entirely unknown, and is the source of considerable speculation among archaeologists, as there arc no buildings of similar structure known in any other part, of the world. The most freely-accepted opinion as to their "origin is that they were built by some such people as the early Phoenicians, who visited this part of Africa to collect gold, ivory, and slaves, and that it was probably from here that Solomon obtained his gold, the Ophir of the Bible. Although the Matabelc people occupied this district long before the white man came, they have no tradition or knowledge as to who built them, or for what purpose they were used. Strong support is given to the idea that they were used for the collection- and housing of gold, ivory and slaves, by the fact that similar smaller

ruins exist every fifteen miles down to the coastal town of Sofala. These smaller buildings would probably represent resting places after a day’s journey on the way to the coast.

The ruins were rediscovered by Adam Renders, an American hunter, in IS6S, who unknowingly pitched his camp here, and thus came across one of the deepest mysteries of Africa. The Zimbabwe ruins are situated some sixteen miles south of Southern Rhodesia’s oldest town, Fort Victoria, in the wild granite country of Southern Mashonaland. They cover many acres of ground, and are in two parts, one on the plateau, and the other on the top of a high and precipitous rock, 350 feet high. The ruins on the plain are known as the Temple, or Elliptical ruins; those on the rock as the Acropolis ruins.

The Temple ruins arc a mazy labyrinth of walls of peculiar and aweinspiring mystery. The main features are their massive strength, enormous solidity, plainness, and similarity. The buildings are all of dry masonry, no cement or mortar being used, except in laying down floors. Many of the granite blacks used, show signs of having been shaped. The plan of the Temple is elliptical, the highest part of the wall is 34 feet above the ground, the greatest base thickness 16 feet, and 10 feet at the summit. The circum-

.ferenee of tnc big girdle wall is 830 feet exterior, and 770 feet interior. The length of the passageways inside the Temple is about 400 feet. There is no sign of che structure ever having possessed a roof.

Passing through the entrance one reaches the sacred enclosure, in which stand the largo and small conical towers. The large cone, w r hich undoubtedly was a symbol for religious worship, is very symmetrical; its present height is about 32 feet, and its base has a circumference of 53 feet. This tower is believed to represent Phallus. On the interior of the wall can he seen mural decoration, and onthe top of the exterior is worked the chevron pattern, which is found- on ancient Egyptian monuments, and -on Phoenician coins.

The Acropolis ruins on- the summit of the rock are of great natural strength, being practically impregnable on three sides. On the only accessible side there is a wall of massive thickness, 13 feet wide at the summit and 22 feet at the base, and in some parts 30 feet high. On the fiat causeway on top of this wall, at the outer edge, are four small" conical towers three feet in diameter. At the foot of the Acropolis is a cluster of- poorly -constructed ruins, probably used as a guard house.