Stone walls of a medieval African kingdom
Great Zimbabwe is the largest ancient stone structure in sub-Saharan Africa, built between roughly the 11th and 15th centuries by the ancestors of the Shona people. Its walls were made from granite blocks fitted without mortar. The Hill Complex crowns a rocky outcrop, while the Great Enclosure below is ringed by a massive curving wall and holds a conical tower. The city grew rich trading gold and ivory towards the Indian Ocean coast. The site museum displays the carved soapstone birds that became the national emblem.