Zimbabwe contains Great Zimbabwe, the medieval stone city near Masvingo.
Great Zimbabwe was a major settlement built largely from dry-stone masonry between roughly the 11th and 15th centuries. Its most famous structures include the Great Enclosure, the Hill Complex and the Great Zimbabwe ruins.
The site is associated with ancestors of the Shona-speaking peoples and was linked to regional trade networks. Archaeological evidence includes imported objects from distant regions, showing that the settlement participated in Indian Ocean commerce. The modern country took its name from the site; “Zimbabwe” is commonly connected with a Shona expression referring to houses of stone.