Author:
MAPUNGUBWE NATIONAL PARK, SOUTH AFRICA
UNESCO World Heritage Site - Cultural Landscape
Did you know that a thousand years
ago a sophisticated civilization lived in the Limpopo Valley and traded with China?
Destined to become a top wildlife and cultural safari destination, the
fascinating remains of the ancient city state of Mapungubwe uncover the
mysterious past of a sophisticated Iron Age society that traded with
Asia and Arabia.
Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape is situated on the
northern border of the Limpopo Province at the confluence of the
Limpopo and Shashe rivers where South Africa neighbours Botswana and
Zimbabwe. The rich cultural heritage and amazing biodiversity of the
wildlife and vast savannah landscape contribute to the enormous
potential of this region to become a major tourist destination in South
Africa.
1000 years ago, the "Place of the Stone of Wisdom" was the largest kingdom on the subcontinent.
The
initial lure of the Limpopo Valley originated from abundant ivory
collected from hunting the great herds of elephant that roamed the
fertile valley. Gold was discovered later and this,
combined with the agricultural richness of the fertile floodplains
contributed to the large scale settlement of this region. Palace sites
and the "Lost City of Gold" remain virtually intact
along with two former city sites. This unique place is a matchless
testimony to the growth of social and political structures over 400
years.
The stone buildings, burial sites and artefacts reveal
advanced metal working, the earliest known confirmation of social
stratification, and an advanced trade based society. The most famous
artefact is the Golden Rhino, a single horned wooden
carving covered in gold leaf. Its single horn is characteristic of the
Indian rhino, an influence attributed to trade with India. Mapungubwe Hill
is the site where the nobility lived in seclusion and were elaborately
buried. These discoveries have revealed a class based society that
lived in a state
about the size of Swaziland with Mapungubwe as its capital city.
The community thrived in this region for 400 years until climate
changes impacted on agricultural activities and forced the
Mapungubweans to leave. Gold reserves and firewood had also most likely
been depleted.
Mapungubwe burial sites and gold artefacts were first discovered in
1932 and hushed up during the apartheid years. Today exciting plans are
underway for the formation of a transfrontier park incorporating
Mapungubwe National Park in South Africa with the wildlife rich areas
of the Tuli Block in Botswana and Zimbabwe’s Tuli Safari region. Once
established, the enlarged Limpopo - Shashe Transfrontier Conservation Area will become a significant refuge for wild dog, black rhino and elephant, and many other threatened species.
The
famous golden rhino, golden sceptre, golden bowl and various gold,
ivory and copper ornaments, trade glass beads and Chinese celadon and
ceramic ware are exhibited at the Mapungubwe Museum on the main campus of the University of Pretoria. Tel: +27 12 4203146
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Justification for Inscription as a World Heritage Site:
- Criterion (ii): The Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape contains evidence
for an important interchange of human values that led to far-reaching
cultural and social changes in Southern Africa between AD 900 and 1300.
- Criterion
(iii): The remains in the Mapungubwe cultural landscape are a
remarkably complete testimony to the growth and subsequent decline of
the Mapungubwe state which at its height was the largest kingdom in the
African sub-continent.
- Criterion (iv): The establishment of
Mapungubwe as a powerful state trading through the East African ports
with Arabia and India was a significant stage in the history of the
African sub-continent.
- Criterion (v): The remains in the
Mapungubwe cultural landscape graphically illustrate the impact of
climate change and record the growth and then decline of the kingdom of
Mapungubwe as a clear record of a culture that became vulnerable to
irreversible change.
Source: UNESCO
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