THE SMALL CONICAL TOWER, ELLIPTICAL TEMPLE
The east entrance leads from the Parallel Passage, and measurements of it are given in the description of that passage.
The buttresses on either side of the inner side of the eastern entrance have not the appearance of being ancient, unless they had once collapsed and been roughly rebuilt at a much later period.
The eastern section of this enclosure has been cleared of débris down to the level of a yellow granite cement floor. In several places this flooring has been destroyed by roots of both past and present trees of great size. This section appears to have had to absorb all rainfall from the south-east area of the temple, as this enclosure is at a much lower level than the adjoining enclosures, and this may account for the decomposition at some points of the cement floor. The clearing to the cement floor has also been carried round the base of the Conical Tower, which now stands upon an almost level floor. The spot where Bent sank the hole through the cement can plainly be seen on the south side of the tower. The clearing also disclosed a granite cement step at the north entrance with a level cement floor on the inner side between it and the north side of the tower. This floor is 2 ft. above the cement floor round the base of the tower, from which raised floor two granite steps between the tower and The Platform lead down to the floor of the western section of the enclosure.
In the western section the floor along the base of the main wall is buried in débris to a depth of 1 ft. 6 in. to 5 ft. From the base of the northern wall of this section to the centre of the area is a cemented floor laid on a pavement of blocks, but in some places the cement has become decomposed. In the west corner of this section of the enclosure is a floor raised 3 ft. above the cement floor, but this is very roughly built, and appears to have been a filling-in by some late occupiers of the temple. On the east side of this raised floor, and acting as its retaining wall on that side, are the remains of a wall 4 ft. high and 4 ft. wide projecting from the reconstructed portion of the north wall, and most probably of even a later date than the obviously reconstructed wall, seeing that it is built up against it.
In the angle formed by the 28-ft. section of the north wall of the western area and the wall of The Platform is a set of “blind steps,” two in number, and with a platform 8 ft. by 6 ft. square, the steps and the platform being covered with granite cement (see Architecture—Blind Steps).
Small portions of granite cement are to be found in the joints of the blocks of the main wall up to a height of 7 ft., and also to a similar height on the north wall of the eastern section of this enclosure, while in the angle of this latter wall and the buttress built up against it are the remains of a granite cement dado (see Architecture—Cement Dadoes).
THE CONICAL TOWER[52]
This celebrated tower, which forms one of the chief architectural features of the Zimbabwe ruins, stands in the centre of the Sacred Enclosure, dividing it into two areas. The south-east of the tower is 3 ft. 10 in. from the main wall of the temple (at 255 ft.) from the south side of the west entrance. It is 31 ft. high on its south-east face; 30 ft. on the south-west side; 26 ft. 6 in. on its north-east side; and 29 ft. on the north-west side. These measurements are taken from the actual foundation, which is only a few inches below the granite cement flooring surrounding its base on all sides but the north. The average height of the reduced summit of the tower in 1894 was 32 ft., and it was then far more level than as seen to-day. Bent believed the original height to have been 35 ft., at which point he thought it once had a level top, 4 ft in diameter. Photographs taken in 1891 give a very good impression of what the tower was like previous to the dilapidation, which took place immediately after that time.