Latest / Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Mambo Gara and the Great Drought of 1300
In this episode, we explore how Mambo Gara, a 13th-century king of Great Zimbabwe, faced one of the region's worst droughts. As the rains failed and the herds dwindled, Gara turned to the spirit mediums (svikiro) and the high god Mwari for guidance. He ordered the construction of new grain storage pits in the Valley Complex, diverted labor from stone-building to irrigation, and negotiated with neighboring chiefdoms for access to the Tugwi River salt fields. The drought reshaped Great Zimbabwe's economy and social structure, weakening the old guard of hereditary priests (mhondoro)…
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