THE ARAB BUILDERS OF ZIMBABWE JAMES E. MULLAN Printed by RHODESIA MISSION PRESS P. B. P7024. Umtali RHODESIA The Emozaid 10 Identification of Emozaid with Ba Lemba 10 A Synopsis 10 The Ba-Lemba 15 The Yemen and Hadhramaut 25 A Comparison between Yemen and Inyanga Terraces 29 The followers of Zaid and other Mohammedan Sects 31 Pre-Muslim Arab Beliefs 32 East African Arab settlements 33 Quotations from early writings about East Africa 34 The Ba-Lemba—The Emozaid 45 Who were the Limis? 47 The Limi period 52 Coming of the Karanga 52 Place and Origin of BaKaranga and Ba tonga 53 The Coming of the Portuguese 54 D'Aleacova's Account 56 Monomotapa and Zimbabwe 59 Monomotapa's Residences 59 The Lehoya or Ghoya 62 The Conical Tower 81 The Workmen Builders Under the Emozaid 83 The Wak-Wak 86 The Hottentots 87 Arab names for towns 92 Arab skill in operation 93 Skeletal remains 95 The Ancient Mines 102 The Kingdom of Monomotapa 110 Monomotapa and the BaKalanga 115 The Butwa-Torwa Territory 122 Some Traditions concerning the Butwa-Torwa King­ dom 124 The BaMwenye 127 Conclusions 130 Lost and Found 139 Important Additional Information 141 Appendix A 147 Appendix B 157 Appendix C 160 Appendix D 161 Index 164 TO MY WIFE WITH GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF HER PATIENT LONG-SUFFERING WITH ME, WHEN AT TIMES I WAS ABSORBED IN THE NECESSARY RESEARCH FOR THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS BOOK. By the same Author: Germanic Clay. Israel. Ten Tribes—The Ashkenazim. Ulster Clans (Joint Author with Rev. T. H. Mullin). ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I acknowledge with gratitude my indebtedness to the following for permission to quote from their various writings, as mentioned below— Mr. Roger Summers—"Zimbabwe—A Rhodesian Myst­ ery", published by Nelsons, Johannesburg; and ''Vanished Civilisations", published by Thames and Hudson, London. Dr. N. J Van Warmelo of the Department of Bantu Administration and Development, Pretoria, for permis­ sion to quote from the Ethnological Publications of the Government of the Republic of South Africa Mr. James Walton for "African Village Dr. Caton'Thompson for "Zimbabwe Culture". Dr. E. Axelson M.A., D. Litt. for "South East Africa" Messrs Macmillan & Co., for Prof. P. K . Hitti's "History of The Arabs." Mr. J. Farquahar, Editor of NADA, for permission to quote from various articles appearing in NADA, The Misses Bullock for permission to quote from Mr, Charles Bullock's book—"The Mashona And The Mata- bele". Messrs George Allen & Unwin Ltd., for permission to quote from Mr. Hans Helfritz's book "The Yemen—A Secret Journey". Messrs Cassel & Co, Ltd., for permission to quote from Mr. B. G. Paver's book—"Zimbabwe Calcade". My grateful thanks are also due to my daughters and Mrs. B. Holmes for typing my manuscript. My grateful thanks also to my good friend Mr. P. Joubert, Photographer of Newcastle, Natal, for the photographs of the Transvaal Lemba one of whom seen on the cover is of our respected Minister of the Gospel—Amos Tobakale, who dressed as an Arab for the occasion. Thanks also to the Rhodesian Department of Tourism for permission to use their splendid photographs. 2 Thanks also to my sons-in-law, Mr. F Parsons for his kindness in arranging for the production of the cover for this book and Mr. P. Warne for assisting with the proof reading. Then lastly, my grateful thanks to Miss Anna Porteous MA., for correcting the typescript, and Mr. P. Warne for performing the ardous task of proof-reading, for this book. JAMES E. MULLAN 1 Darlington Road East London, South Africa. 1969 INTRODUCTION This book represents an attempt by one who might be described as "the man in the street", to co-relate the findings and opinions of the experts in order to obtain a solution of the Zimbabwe mystery. In doing so, as is only too evident, the writer can lay no claim to having produced something of literary merit—with the possible exception of a few quotations from the various authors, whose works have been consulted, and to whom, because of their contributions towards the solving of this intriguing mystery, we are all greatly indebted. This work was not undertaken because of being prompt­ ed by some particular political bias, but is the outcome of an interest in the Ba Lemba. which was awakened in the author many years ago. when serving as a mission­ ary in the Northern Transvaal, but which only now, after so long a time, has resulted, through opportunity for further study of the subject, in the production of this book. The question may well be asked: But why another book on this subject, especially in view of the fact, that many, considered to be experts, have written and ex­ pressed their conclusions? The reason is this—that the experts together with other so-called experts, fall in the main into two schools of thoughts - one, the school holding the "ancient" theory; and the other the theory that the Zimbabwes are of comparatively recent origin, and are the work of the Bantu; and THE THEORY OF NEITHER SCHOOL AP­ PEARS TO FIT INTO THE PERIOD INDICATED BY THE C.14 TEST, ie. AROUND THE YEAR 702 A.D. THUS THE PERIOD POSTULATED BY ONE SCHOOL IS TOO EARLY, AND THAT OF THE OTHER SCHOOL IS TOO LATE! The exponents of the first-mentioned theory, which we have termed the "ancient" theory, believe variously, that Great Zimbabwe was built in King Solomon's time, perhaps by the Queen of Sheba. Others believe that 4 Zimbabwe is not quite so ancient, -but was built by the Himyarites of Southern Arabia. Then others, and among them Dr. A. J. Bruwer, who has written perhaps the most recent book on the subject, are those who believe that Zimbabwe was built by the Phonicians. All ad­ herents of the "ancient" theory believe that Zimbabwe was built some considerable time before the commence­ ment of the Mohammedan era; and in this connection the writer referred to above—Dr. A, J. Bruwer—states that "We can be quite sure that, long before the time when the fanatical Islamic Arabs made contact with the Sofala Coast again in A.D, 732, and after they had been checked in Europe at the battle of Tours in the same year, the Phoenician chapter in the South-East African History was closed for good". Coming now to what we have termed the "modern" school, which numbers in its ranks some eminent archaeologists, we find that they have all come to the conclusion that Zimbabwe was built by the Bantu. Un­ fortunately for the present exponents of this latter theory, and even as expressed by one of them—a degree of consternation was manifest in their ranks, when the result of the Carbon 14 Test on the two pieces of Tambootie wood found in the walls of the Zimbabwe Temple, became known. On the other hand the exponents of the "ancient" school, which must of necessity be the recent writers on the subject, appear to ignore the results of the various Carbon 14 tests. What do the tests reveal which causes consternation among those of the "modern" school, who concluded that the Bantu were the builders? Just this: that whereas the tests on the pieces of Tambootie wood submitted, show that the two pieces were in some way separated from the parent trees, between the years 590 A..D. and 702 A.D.—there is no evidence that the Bantu had as yet arrived in the country we know as Rhodesia. Now, to counteract this setback—Mr. Roger Summers expresses the thought that because of Tambootie wood being almost indestruc­ tible—the two pieces of the said wood may have lain about, or have been used in earlier buildings, and 5 because of their almost indestructible nature, could have survived for perhaps a hundred years or more, before being used in the walls of Zimbabwe. Assuming that this is so, we must not overlook the fact that one of the pieces of Tambootie wood used in the test, is older than the other by one hundred years already, so, as the dating of Zimbabwe must be taken from the later piece, and allowing for it the additional one hundred years suggested by Mr. Summers—this would then mean that the older piece would not be one hundred years old when used in the wall, but two hundred years. This seems too long a period when one considers the possible destructive powers of veldt fires, which must have occur- ed even in those days. But let us try and go as far as we may be able, with Mr. Summers, and say that the more recent piece of wood lay around for fifty years, even though this must mean that the other piece lay around for one hundred and fifty years before being used—this will only bring us to 750 A.D., which by all accounts is still far too early for the appearance of the Bantu. Even if we allow one hundred years for the later piece of wood, this would bring us to the year 800 A.D., and that too, must be acknowledged on the strength of the available evidence, to be also too early. It must be conceded that for the Bantu to be the builders, they must of necessity have appeared in Rhodesia long be­ fore 800 A.D., to have developed to some extent the art of building with any kind of stone. They would also require to have discovered how to separate the granite slabs from the parent rock in uniform thicknes­ ses, using wedges and fire etc.