Kingdom of Butua

Kingdom of Butua
Butua
Kingdom
1450–c. 1683
Capital		Khami
Languages		iKalanga
Religion		Belief in Mwari
Political structure		Kingdom
Mambo		Dlembeu (first)
		Unknown (last)
History
•	Abandonment of Zimbabwe	1450
•	Conquest by Rozwi Empire	c. 1683
Preceded by Succeeded by Kingdom of Zimbabwe Rozwi Empire

The ruins of Khami, capital of the Butua Kingdom.

Steps leading into the ancient city of Khami.

The outer wall of Khami

The Kingdom of Butua or Butwa (c. 1450 - 1683) was a pre-colonial African state located in what is now southwestern Zimbabwe. Butua was renowned as the source of gold for Arab and Portuguese traders. The region was first mentioned in Portuguese records in 1512.

The kingdom was governed by the Torwa dynasty until 1683 from its capital at Khami. Its people were ancestors of the Bakalanga, a people related to the Shona. In 1683, the kingdom was conquered by the Rozwi Empire.

The foundations of the Khami Ruins show a striking resemblance to the pattern of masonry at the base of the Zimbabwe Ruins. Hence the Kalanga are thought to have built Khami, Lusvingo, Mapungugwe and other ruins scattered across western Zimbabwe and east Botswana.

See also

• Torwa dynasty
• Rozwi Empire
• Naletale