Great Zimbabwe Rises as a Monumental Stone City

The Kingdom of Zimbabwe constructs Great Zimbabwe, a monumental dry-stone enclosure city covering 1,800 acres that becomes the capital of a gold-trading empire. Its Great Enclosure, with walls up to 36 feet high built without mortar, houses the Shona kingdom's ruler. At its height, the city holds 18,000 people and controls gold routes from the interior to the Indian Ocean coast.