This is a cave in Zimbabwe that is covered in rock art.
It is very detailed but a lot of it is faded.
The oldest parts are about 7000 years old.
There are a lot of antelopes.
And giraffes.
This antelope has a really long nose.
They painted a the rock with a base layer before they painted on the details. You can see the bare rock where the paint has been chipped off.
A lot of the lines are very fine and detailed.
Most of them are probably bows and arrows or other weapons for hunting.
This reconstructed village near the Great Zimbabwe ruins shows how the people lived.
There was an ancient bao/mancala board carved into a stone.
Most of the houses were for the king’s wives.
Some were used for storage.
The newer wives got smaller huts.
This shows how the hut looks before the mud part is added.
This is part of the roof.
The things that look like windows are actually blocked off like this.
This is the roof.
These are the remains of a big city in Zimbabwe from the 11th to 15th centuries.
This part was mostly ruined.
But the big walled enclosure was less ruined.
These stones were obviously put this way for a reason.
The walls were very smooth and even.
This tower is much taller than Matt.
The wall had pretty decorations on one side.
If there had been more decorations in the wall it probably wouldn’t still be standing today. This should be a lesson for architects everywhere.
From the top of the hill you could see how huge the city used to be.
There were more mostly intact walls up there.
They were built around giant rocks.
This was where they cooked for the king.
This wall was also artistically enhanced.
Building a palace around a mountain must be difficult.
This rock is supposed to be shaped like a woman.
This rock is shaped like a bird. I have a million Zimbabwe dollars for anyone who can show it to me.
This is where the king sat with a good view of the city.
Goodnight.
