Great Zimbabwe, Mashonaland, Rhodesia / An account of two years' examination work in 1902-4 on behalf of the government of Rhodesia

by R. N. Hall

THE WINDING STAIRS

These lead from The Platform to the East Passage, which again leads to the eastern extremity of the Acropolis Ruins. The stairs are 14 ft. long, and descend 8 ft., and are 4 ft. to 6 ft. wide. The wall on the south side is 4 ft. to 7 ft. high as the stairs descend. The wall at the east end is 7 ft. high. The face of a huge boulder forms the north side. The foot of the stairs, where they turn towards the south, is covered by a narrow wall supported by an old wooden beam. This beam is not ancient, but the old Makalanga who occupied these ruins may have inserted it to make the stairs safer to use. Fragments of slate lintel were found in the débris at the foot of the stairs.