These historical Ndebele granaries are found in Zimbabwe's western Matobo Hills 40km west of the city of Bulawayo. They date from the 1890s or even earlier, and were used to stored grain during times of conflict and hostilities. These clay and straw granaries were hidden in the caves and under overhangs in the granite kopjes (hillocks) that make up the Matobos Hills. These kopjes are a mass of jumbled boulders of different sizes covered in thick vegetation, and hide numerous caverns, caves and overhangs. Research has show that these granaries, which were totally sealed once filled with grain or millet, could keep the contents in an edible form for up to 3 years.
|
