@Coldpili njoo uelezee hii kidogo tu
Thimlich is a 600-year old circular stone wall relatively unknown to many outside the location. It is situated 46km south of Migori town, about 180km southwest of Kisumu town in southwestern Kenya in Migori County.
The main enclosure of Thimlich Ohinga has walls that vary from 1.0 to 3 meters in thickness, and 1 to 4.2 meters in height. The structures were built from undressed blocks, rocks, and stonesset in place without mortar. The densely packed stones interlock. ‘Thimlich’ means “frightening dense forest” in Dholuo, the language of the Luo. ‘Ohinga’ plural ‘Ohingni’ means “a large fortress” in (Dholuo).
The wall’s uniqueness is that it was built without mortar and is a rare example of early defensive savanna architecture adopted in East Africa. Several smaller walls can be found inside the outer wall and these are believed to have been build to protect individual homes. The massive outer wall protected the entire settlement which stood on a 52-acre piece of land. The site consists of six enclosures and is a rare example of the first settlements in the region. Most of the wall is still standing, except for a few sections that have been destroyed by the effects of weather and human activity.
Oral histories suggest that Thimlich Ohinga was constructed by the then-inhabitants to serve as protection against outsiders in Kadem, Kanyamwa areas, as well as from neighbouring ethnic groups from what is now Tanzania - but as the names suggest, (Kadem is an example of a Luo name) the present names came about after the Luo began to inhabit the area. For reasons yet unknown, Thimlich Ohinga was abandoned by the original builders. Over time, other communities moved into the area in the period between the 15th and the 19th centuries and those who lived within the complexes maintained them by repairing and modifying the structures. The re-occupation and repair did not interfere with the preservation of the structures. Aside from being a defensive fort, Thimlich Ohinga was also an economic, religious, and social hub.
Archaeological research carried by the National Museums of Kenya has unveiled the manufacture of goods like pottery, and also yielded human and animal bones.
Inside the structures, are partitions of various kinds like corridors, smaller enclosures and depressions. Some of the compartments include games sections where men played games like ‘ajua,’ and grinding stones where women ground grain.[citation needed] Livestock pens for cattle, sheep, goats, chicken, ducks, guinea fowl and retaining walls for gardens were also built.
The entryways were purposefully made small, so that potential intruders would be quickly subdued by guards in a watch tower near the entrance. It is easy to scan the whole complex from the watchtower built from raised rocks.
Inhabitants of Thimlich Ohinga also had smaller side forts which had houses, meal areas, animal pens, and a granary.
[ATTACH=full]128168[/ATTACH]