The Hill Complex
Stepped terraces among boulders.
Senzeni1 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Robert Stewart Burrett — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Robert Stewart Burrett — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Digr — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ulamm 10:16, 31 January 2008 (UTC) — Public domain
Khami Ruins are a stone city that was once capital of the Kingdom of Butua under the Torwa dynasty, west of Bulawayo. UNESCO inscribed it as World Heritage in 1986. It ranks with Great Zimbabwe as a key site of its kind, though it is far quieter, and its decorated stone terraces have a form all their own. Khami was the capital for about 200 years from around 1450, founded about when the Great Zimbabwe state disappeared. Because the local stone was hard to shape, builders made not free-standing walls but retaining walls around raised platforms, which kept houses cooler. By tradition it was conquered by Changamire Dombo in 1683, and excavations suggest it was not lived in afterwards. The ruins spread over seven built-up areas, chief among them the Hill Complex, where the king lived, with stepped terraces among boulders and trees. One retaining wall is 6 metres high and 68 metres long, with a checkerboard pattern. Others show cord and herringbone decoration. The valley held cattle kraals and commoners' huts, and an old Christian cross stands on one platform. The ruins are 16.7 km in a straight line west of Bulawayo, about 22 km away by road. The site is exposed and hot, so bring a hat and water and start in the morning. Do not climb the walls, parts of which have been restored with long effort. The ground is uneven among trees and stones, so wear closed shoes and ask about a guide at the entrance.
Stepped terraces among boulders.
A pattern 68 metres long.
Building that cooled the houses.
Khami River, west of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
Khami is quieter, with retaining walls around platforms rather than free-standing walls.
Yes from Bulawayo, and a morning suits most visitors.