The following is an encore presentation of Everything Everywhere Daily.

Located near the city of Mosvingo in Central Zimbabwe are the ruins of one of the greatest civilizations of the Middle Ages.

When European explorers first discovered the ruins, they simply couldn't believe that it was built

by Native Africans.

Subsequent archaeological investigations showed not just that they were wrong, but that the civilization

which was there had contact with some of the furthest reaches of the known world.

Learn more about Great Zimbabwe, one of Africa's greatest empires, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Book your ticket to happiness with Sun Express Airlines. And I should probably start by describing exactly what Great Zimbabwe is before I get into the history of the site.

The site known as Great Zimbabwe is a stone ruin located in Central Zimbabwe about 270

kilometers or 170 miles due south of the capital of Harare.

The main building at the site is a large circular stone structure

with a circumference of 250 meters or 820 feet

that served as the centerpiece of a larger city of about 7.2

square kilometers or 2.8 square miles. It is estimated that the city could have

had a population of as many as 20,000 people at its peak. The word Zimbabwe is from the

Shoah language and it's usually defined to mean House of Stone. The modern

country of Zimbabwe takes its name from Great Zimbabwe.

The term Great Zimbabwe can be a bit confusing,

as it's referring to a specific building,

the ancient city where that building resides,

and the entire kingdom or empire.

Usually when telling the story of some ancient place,

I'll usually start right at the beginning.

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