Great Zimbabwe and the Words ‘Dzimba dza Mabwe’

Very few countries are named after a building. Zimbabwe is. The name comes from Great Zimbabwe, the stone city in the south-east of the country, near Masvingo, built by the ancestors of the Shona. And the name itself carries a small puzzle in chiShona.

Great Zimbabwe, the stone city

UNESCO, which inscribed Great Zimbabwe on the World Heritage List in 1986, describes it as “a unique testimony to the Bantu civilization of the Shona between the 11th and 15th centuries”. The site covers almost 800 hectares and has three main groups of ruins: the Hill Ruins, the Great Enclosure and the Valley Ruins. By the fourteenth century it was the principal city of a major state on the gold-rich plateau, with a population that exceeded 10,000 people.

The Great Enclosure, from the fourteenth century, is built of cut granite blocks laid in regular courses, with a narrow passage leading to a high conical tower. PBS’s NOVA calls it “the largest single prehistoric structure south of the Sahara”.

Gold, trade and a city abandoned

Its wealth came partly from trade. NOVA explains that the city lay on the route between the region’s gold-producing areas and ports such as Sofala on the Mozambique coast, where African gold and ivory were traded for beads, cloth and other goods from Arabia and further east. Around 1450 the capital was abandoned; UNESCO links this to the land no longer being able to feed so many people, and to deforestation.

A symbol taken back

Colonial writers refused to believe Africans had built it and invented other builders. UNESCO states clearly that the site “is unquestionably of Bantu origin”, and NOVA records that the Rhodesian government suppressed the findings of archaeologists who said so. At independence in 1980 the new nation took the city’s name, and the soapstone Zimbabwe Bird, found at the site, became its national emblem, on the flag, notes and coins.

What does the name Zimbabwe mean?

The most common explanation, as NOVA puts it, is that Zimbabwe is a contraction of the chiShona phrase dzimba dza mabwe, “houses of stone”. UNESCO’s own description simply says “the Shona word Zimbabwe means the house in stone”.

But there is a second view. Archaeologist Peter Garlake, NOVA reports, felt the word more likely derives from dzimba woye, “venerated houses”, a term usually reserved for the houses or graves of chiefs. Both readings are taken seriously, so it is fair to say the meaning is debated.

Either way, the first word is the same. Imba is a house or home, and its plural is dzimba, houses. You will hear it in everyday speech and even in proverbs.

Words to know

The dz is a single sound, like the ds in “adds”. Say it in one go at the start of dzimba.

In everyday conversation

If you visit Masvingo, a few polite phrases open doors before you reach any ruins:

• Mhoroi. Makadii? Hello. How are you? (polite)
• Ndiripo. Makadiiwo? I’m fine. And you?
• Imarii? How much is it?
• Maita basa. Thank you.

Quick facts

• Great Zimbabwe was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986.
• UNESCO dates it to between the 11th and 15th centuries, across almost 800 hectares.
• By the fourteenth century its population exceeded 10,000 people.
• The capital was abandoned around 1450.
• Zimbabwe took the city’s name at independence in 1980, and the Zimbabwe Bird became the national emblem.

Frequently asked questions

What does Great Zimbabwe mean?

The usual explanation is that Zimbabwe comes from the chiShona dzimba dza mabwe, “houses of stone”. Archaeologist Peter Garlake suggested it may instead come from dzimba woye, “venerated houses”, so the meaning is debated.

Who built Great Zimbabwe?

It was built by the ancestors of the Shona. UNESCO calls the site “unquestionably of Bantu origin”.

Why was Great Zimbabwe abandoned?

The capital was abandoned around 1450. UNESCO links this to the land no longer being able to feed so many people, and to deforestation.

Have you been?

Have you walked through the Great Enclosure? And which explanation of the name did you grow up hearing? You can read UNESCO’s World Heritage listing for Great Zimbabwe and NOVA’s article on the mysteries of Great Zimbabwe, or see how another community marks its heritage in Dikgafela: bringing the harvest to the kgosi.

Our chiShona hub gathers every lesson, and the chiShona: Complete Language Pack (A1 to C2) takes you from first greetings to proverbs like the one above. To practise that dz sound, start a free 5-minute chiShona lesson or book a trial with a chiShona tutor who grew up with it.