Urban Zenith of Great Zimbabwe (Early 14th Century)

Timeline

1. 1300–1310Hill Complex · ZimbabweFrom around 1300, artisans expanded palace stone walls and passages atop the granite hill, building enclosures over ten meters high using mortarless dry-stone techniques. The hill complex became the center where rulers performed ceremonies and controlled trade distribution, marking the city's transformation from an early settlement into a regional capital.
2. 1310–1320Great Enclosure · ZimbabweLandmark structures such as the Great Enclosure and the Conical Tower were completed in the early 14th century; the valley population within the walls may have reached 10,000–18,000. Archaeology shows a surge in imported Indian Ocean glass beads and Chinese porcelain shards, reflecting the city-state's deep embedding in the Swahili–Indian Ocean trade network.
3. 1320–1330Zimbabwe Plateau · Southern AfricaBy the 1330s, Great Zimbabwe controlled highland pastures, gold mines, and trade routes to the port of Sofala, collecting tribute from surrounding vassal settlements. After about thirty years of urban prosperity, resource depletion, climate change, and shifting trade routes led the population to gradually migrate northward to sites such as Khami and Damba.