Great Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe)

Great Zimbabwe, the stone ruins of a once-flourishing medieval capital, represents Africa's largest ancient structure south of the pyramids. This 11th-15th century city housed up to 18,000 people in its peak as the heart of a gold-trading empire spanning the Indian Ocean. Its impressive dry-stone walls, including the iconic conical tower and Hill Complex, showcase advanced masonry techniques without mortar. Abandoned by 1450 possibly due to environmental factors, the site's origins were wrongly attributed to foreign cultures during colonial times. Today, these national monuments stand as powerful evidence of sophisticated pre-colonial African civilization and economic power.