# Canonical recap data for Great Zimbabwe Royal Assembly Games (1300)
# Source: https://recap.at/1300/great-zimbabwe-games
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: great-zimbabwe-games
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1300/great-zimbabwe-games"
title: Great Zimbabwe Royal Assembly Games
subtitle: Archaeological evidence and oral traditions suggest Great Zimbabwe hosted royal hunting contests and ceremonial games as displays of power and community cohesion.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1300-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1300
decade: 1300
country:
name: Zimbabwe
slug: zimbabwe
summaryShort: Great Zimbabwe was a city in the south-eastern hills of the modern country of Zimbabwe, near Masvingo. It was settled from around 1000 CE, and served as the capital of the Kingdom of Great Zimbabwe from the 13th century. It is the largest stone structure in precolonial Southern Africa. Major construction on the city be
summaryLong: Great Zimbabwe was a city in the south-eastern hills of the modern country of Zimbabwe, near Masvingo. It was settled from around 1000 CE, and served as the capital of the Kingdom of Great Zimbabwe from the 13th century. It is the largest stone structure in precolonial Southern Africa. Major construction on the city began in the 11th century until the 15th century, and it was abandoned in the 16th or 17th century. The edifices were erected by ancestors of the Shona people, currently located in Zimbabwe and nearby countries. The stone city spans an area of 7.22 square kilometres (2.79 mi2). Population estimates vary. Earlier estimates suggest a peak population of around 20,000 people. A recent study using archaeological, ethnographic, and historical evidence, along with statistical modeling suggests that the site's population did not exceed 10,000 people. The Zimbabwe state centred on it likely covered 50,000 km². It is recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Conical_Tower_-_Great_Enclosure_III_%2833736918448%29.jpg/1280px-Conical_Tower_-_Great_Enclosure_III_%2833736918448%29.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Great Zimbabwe"
importance: 71
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts: []
timeline: []
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Zimbabwe"
  title: Great Zimbabwe
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
categories:
- sports
- festival
metaDescription: Great Zimbabwe was a city in the south-eastern hills of the modern country of Zimbabwe, near Masvingo. It was settled from around 1000 CE, and served as the cap
wikidataQid: Q209217
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260622071815/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Zimbabwe"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-22
  label: Great Zimbabwe
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Zimbabwe"
