Arts & Manners: Zimbabwe and the Arabs

I recently visited Zimbabwe, in Rhodesia—walked through narrow passages between the high walls, admired the drystone diking of the outer walls of the temple, and climbed to the rough acropolis on a crag overlooking the temple site. There’s nothing like this temple-fortress complex elsewhere in Africa. The huge structure might be in Yemen but for the surrounding msasa trees and spiky aloes, the rich foliage of Central Africa.

Zimbabwe is the most distinctive structure in sub-Saharan Africa, but it isn’t African. We know that now. The early Portuguese fathers, in their exploration of the interior, soon learned of Zimbabwe and correctly guessed at least part of its purpose—an entrepot for gold mined in the surrounding area. But the Portuguese accounts had been forgotten when a German geologist, Karl Mauch, visited the ruins in 1871- 72. With that visit began modern interest in Zimbabwe—and myth-making about its builders. Until very recently, the myths proliferated, with everyone from the Phoenicians to African tribesmen being given credit for the temple complex. Carbon dating of timbers from Zimbabwe and other archaeological evidence, plus analysis of architectural and art themes in the structure, make clear that the main portions of the complex were built in the seventh century after Christ by Judaized Sabaeans from Southwest Arabia. Indian and even Chinese influences also touched the resulting colony-civilization termed Zimbabwean.

AH

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Anthony H. Harrigan

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I recently visited Zimbabwe, in Rhodesia—walked through narrow passages between the high walls, admired the drystone diking of the outer walls of the temple, and climbed to the rough acropolis on a crag overlooking the temple site. There’s nothing like this temple-fortress complex elsewhere in Africa. The huge structure might be in Yemen but for the surrounding msasa trees and spiky aloes, the rich foliage of Central Africa.

Zimbabwe is the most distinctive structure in sub-Saharan Africa, but it isn’t African. We know that now. The early Portuguese fathers, in their exploration of the interior, soon learned of Zimbabwe and correctly guessed at least part of its purpose—an entrepot for gold mined in the surrounding area. But the Portuguese accounts had been forgotten when a German geologist, Karl Mauch, visited the ruins in 1871- 72. With that visit began modern interest in Zimbabwe—and myth-making about its builders. Until very recently, the myths proliferated, with everyone from the Phoenicians to African tribesmen being given credit for the temple complex. Carbon dating of timbers from Zimbabwe and other archaeological evidence, plus analysis of architectural and art themes in the structure, make clear that the main portions of the complex were built in the seventh century after Christ by Judaized Sabaeans from Southwest Arabia. Indian and even Chinese influences also touched the resulting colony-civilization termed Zimbabwean.