- Torwa dynasty
The Torwa dynasty arose from the collapse of the
Great Zimbabwe Kingdom in the sixteenth and seventeenth century, founded perhaps by the legendaryDlembeu .The Torwa dynasty based itself at the stone city of
Khami from1450 to1683 . Cattle and gold brought prosperity. The new culture at Khami developed both the stone building techniques and the pottery styles found at Great Zimbabwe. Masons continued to refine Great Zimbabwe’s tradition of building precise stone walls.At Khami several artefacts are found, such as ritual drinking pots, iron and bronze weapons, copper objects and ivory divining pieces. Artifacts from
Europe andChina are reminders that Khami was once a trade centre.During this period the first Europeans arrived. The first known European visitor was
Antonio Fernandes , a Portuguese degredado (these were convicted felons whom were offered freedom and wealth for daring exploits), who entered the Zimbabwean plateau in1513 .There had always been an
Arab influence in the region, particularly through trade, but this conflicted with Portuguese commercial interests and religion.In the 1670s a new power arose on the Zimbabwean plateau led by a Shona military ruler called the Changamire. His army of followers, known as the Rozwi, overthrew the Torwa dynasty, drove the Portuguese from the Zimbabwean plateau in
1693 , and established theRozwi Empire (also called Changamire).ee also
Zimbabwe Dynasty External links
* [http://encarta.msn.com/text_761572628___107/Africa.html http://encarta.msn.com/text_761572628___107/Africa.html]
* [http://www.karibahouseboats.com/about-zimbabwe.htm www.karibahouseboats.com/about-zimbabwe.htm]
* [http://www.infotour-africa.com/zimbabwe_history.htm. www.infotour-africa.com/zimbabwe_history.htm]
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