Domboshaba Ruins

About this place

The Domboshaba Ruins are an archaeological and cultural site in northeastern Botswana, occupied towards the end of the Great Zimbabwe period, around 1250 to 1450 AD. A national monument run by the Botswana National Museum, it sits on a rocky hill topped by stone walls built without mortar, and local people hold it in great respect. The name means «red hill» or «eland hill» in Ikalanga, and the chief is believed to have lived at the top with his helpers, while his wives and family lived below. Local taboos protected the site until the colonial era, when treasure hunters and archaeologists began digging. Since 2000 an annual festival here has celebrated Kalanga culture. The site spreads over more than 8 hectares, with walls averaging 1.8 m high. The hilltop has six stone enclosures, and the lower part has one main enclosure, divided into several. You can see 15 dakha hut floors, a milling stone used for tobacco, groundnuts and sorghum, and small caverns among the huge boulders. On nearby Mantenge Hill a natural well 7 m deep is said never to dry up. It is 65 km in a straight line from Francistown, best reached by car. The path up the hill is rocky, so wear suitable shoes and bring water and a hat. The site has its own rules, so ask at the gate before climbing, and do not move any stones, as the place is protected by law. Early morning suits the hot months.