uMgungundlovu was the royal capital of the Zulu King Dingane (1828–1840) and one of several military complexes which he maintained. He established his royal kraal in 1829 in the eMakhosini valley against Lion hill (Singonyama), just south of the White Umfolozi River.
The rebuilt black isigodlo at uMgungundlovu, with the great audience hut at centre. The oval-shaped kraal enclosed the open area.
Monument at the execution hill, commemorating the Retief delegation that was massacred here by Dingane 28°25′37″S 31°16′12″E / 28.42694°S 31.27000°E / -28.42694; 31.27000
The Zulu Kingdom, sometimes referred to as the Zulu Empire or the Kingdom of Zululand, was a monarchy in Southern Africa. During the 1810s, Shaka established a standing army that consolidated rival clans and built a large following which ruled a wide expanse of Southern Africa that extended along the coast of the Indian Ocean from the Tugela River in the south to the Pongola River in the north.
Drawing of King Shaka (c. 1824)
Military innovations such as the assegai, the age-grade regimental system and encirclement tactics helped make the Zulu one of the most powerful clans in southern and south-eastern Africa.
The Battle of Isandlwana, 1879
King Cetshwayo (c. 1875)
