The Khami Ruins, located just outside Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, were founded in the 15th century by immigrants from the Great Zimbabwe Empire known as the Torwa people. The ruins were abandoned in the 18th century as the Torwa migrated away from increasing white settlement. While similar in appearance to Great Zimbabwe, the Khami ruins have freestanding walls built using rare patterns such as herringbone and chevron. Sites of interest include the Cross Ruin, believed to have supernatural powers, and the royal toilet reserved for the king's wives and daughters. However, the ruins are showing signs of dilapidation and require constant repair to preserve them as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Most of the buildings are so old that they would have been as antique to the Egyptians as the Pyramids are to us today. The oldest buildings in the world belong to incredible people who sacrifice for settlements at that time.
Most of the buildings are so old that they would have been as antique to the Egyptians as the Pyramids are to us today. The oldest buildings in the world belong to incredible people who sacrifice for settlements at that time.
Coworking ist Colearning: Castellano hören & sprechen und dabei z.B. etwas über mallorquinischen Wein lernen – das ist ¡Hablemos! Vokabeln zu den Degustationen Nov/Dez mit Juan bei Rayaworx Coworking / Sanantyí, Mallorca
- C'est quoi l'UX ?
- Ce que n'est pas l'UX
- Ça fait partie de l'UX
- La démarche UX à travers ses outils
- La démarche centrée utilisateur
par Caroline Bedaux (@Caroline_Bdx)
Consultante Numérique spécialisée en UX/UI Design
www.edesign.fr
This is an accumulation of all the projects I have done in my Advance Illustration for Production course this quarter (Fall -15) at The Art Institute of CA - San Diego.
In my present position I am dealing with GIS, Strategic Modelling, Microsimulation and data analysis aspects of Transport Projects. Along with that I haves some UK experiences and regulations such as DMRD, Manual for Streets, Web TAG, TSRGD and other DOI guidance. I found this subject very stimulating for my future career path.
Historical Effects and Siwan Traditional ArchitectureMohamed Badry
I participated, as a heritage researcher in SIWI initiative and "HeritageForAll" founder, in a design concept workshop "Concept Sharks: The Siwian Challenge". Me and Eng. Mohamed Amin, "Design Tour" founder, helped jointly the participants to redesign the main gate of Siwa oasis embodying the representatives of tangible and intangible Siwan heritage. Respectively, during workshop, I done an introduction entitled: Historical Effects and Siwan Architectural Heritage.
THIS PRESENTATION SHOWS THE EXISTENCE OF EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE IN EGYPT.
MODERN BUILDINGS SHOWS THE CLEAR REFLECTION OF ISLAMIC AND EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE.
SOME FAMOUS THINGS OR PLACES WAS MENTION IN THIS PPT SUCH AS THE GREAT PYRAMID OF GIZA.
I HOPE YOU SHOULD LIKE THE PPT AND KNOWS MORE ABOUT TECHNICAL AS WELL AS WONDERING INFORMATION ABOUT EGYPT.
THANK YOU
ER.SHAHA ZIM
AMU ALIGARH.
1. Kwa-mai: The Khami Ruins
Located just kilometres out of Bulawayo city lies a place of historical interest. The Khami
was founded in the fifteenth century being the third stone empire, after the South African
Mapungubwe Empire and the Great Zimbabwe Empire. The Khami was founded by Great
Zimbabwe break-away immigrants. The immigrants are the group of people that is today
recognised as the Torwa. The name “Khami” comes from a Kalanga variant of the phrase
“Kwamai”, meaning “mother’s place”. A simple translation of the name Khami is “home”.
The Khami was abandoned in the eighteenth century, presumably in retreat from the
increasing number of white people. After the decline of the Khami, the Torwa migrated to
form the Dlodlo state, which is located in presence in present day Gweru.
Although identical to the great Zimbabwe ruins at face value, the Khami ruins differ in that
the Khami walls are freestanding, the pattern is only seen from the outside. This difference in
building structure can be seen as a way of the Torwa breaking all ties with the state of Great
Zimbabwe in terms of architecture. The Khami Walls are built in five different patterns.
These patterns are; Herringbone, Banded, Checkered, Chevron and Checkered-And-Banded.
These rare patterns have led to controversy over who actually built the walls. The argument is
based on the fact that the pattern building skill has never been discovered since. Scholars
argue that if the local black people had actually built the walls, they could have easily built
more walls resembling those in the Khami, but it appears the skill just disappeared. Historians
counter this argument with a very simple explanation. With the Khami declining just a few
years before colonisation, the local people lost the skill as they tried to retreat from the
whites. They had neither the time nor social stability to pass down the skill to younger
generations.
The walls were built not just for all members of society, but for the elite of the society; chiefs,
king’s advisors and the royal family. The king’s hut was the highest point of the walls so that
he could keep a watchful eye over his population, which ranged from eight to ten thousand
people. The king could, from his pinnacle watch and control all activities which were mainly
farming and pottery.
An interesting site at the ruins is the Cross Ruin. It has been told throughout history that
supernatural powers surround the cross. The cross has been said to provide good luck and
2. good omens. As a result, people, usually foreigners and tourists leave coins at the cross site,
in the hope that the ancestors will bless them, and provide them with good luck.
Left:the cross ruin endowed with coins.
Right:the Royal toilet.
Another site to behold at the ruins is the royal toilet. This was a reserved area of convenience,
exclusive to the royal women and girls. The men and common women used the bush as an
area of relieving themselves. The toilet is a pit latrine, going down a few metres, when not in
use, it is covered using two flat stones.
In spite of its beauty and rare history, the Khami seems to be in a state of dilapidation. The
Khami River for example was decommissioned in 1970. As a result, it is no longer permitted
to pump water for public consumption. Furthermore, the walls need constant repairing under
the UNESCO. The walls are repaired annually by different people in a bid to save the Khami
as a World Heritage site. This has however been met with criticism as critics argue that the
act of repairing the ruins strips them of their natural beauty.