ǁKhauxaǃnas

ǁKhauxaǃnas
Schans Vlakte
near Warmfontein, Namibia
View to the South-East, the protection wall is in the background
Type	Fortress
Site information
Owner	Private
Condition	Ruin
Site history
Built	before 1800
Built by	Klaas Afrikaner and his two sons Jager and Titus
In use	part of farms Gugunas and Schanzen; until about 1820, and again 1904/05
Materials	red sandstone rock slabs
Garrison information
Occupants	Orlam Afrikaners

ǁKhauxaǃnas (Khoekhoegowab: passively defend people from an enemy, Afrikaans / Dutch name Schans Vlakte: sconce valley) is an uninhabited village with an ancient ruined fortress in south-eastern Namibia, east of the Great Karas Mountains. It is the oldest systematically designed and built structure in Namibia, pre-dating all buildings erected by Europeans. Built at the end of the 18th century, most likely between 1796 and 1798 by Klaas Afrikaner and his two sons Jager and Titus, ǁKhauxaǃnas served as a hidden retreat and a fortress to fend off possible pursuits by Cape authorities. The Orlam Afrikaner tribe left the place in the 1820s but it continued to be inhabited by the Veldschoendragers (ǁHawoben) tribe until the mid-19th century.

ǁKhauxaǃnas is situated in the eastern part of the ǁKaras Region in southern Namibia, 173 km (107 mi) south-east of Keetmanshoop. It lies on the banks of Bak River, 6 km (3.7 mi) off the district road D612. The nearest inhabited settlement is Warmfontein, 24 km (15 mi) to the north-west. The site can only be reached by four-wheel drive vehicles, and the last kilometer has to be reached on foot.

The site named ǁKhauxaǃnas refers to the fortified settlement atop the hill overlooking the Bak River. It consists of a trapezium-shaped walled-in enclosure of approximately 150 by 350 meters, and contains several ruins of buildings and kraals. Most of the dwellings are situated near the perimeter wall, which contains 23 doorways. The settlement directly adjacent to the west is the Veldschoendragers Schans Vlakte village that was described by 19th century missionaries. It is equally uninhabited today and contains the ruins of a church that was designed to accommodate 300 people. While the fortification was built by piling sandstone slabs and fitting them together, for the church walls mortar was used.

The military use and value of the fortress can be disputed. The length of the perimeter wall and the amount of doorways in it would have made the site difficult to defend against a sizable number of attackers. The dwellings would have been particularly at risk as they were placed very close to the surrounding wall. However, ǁKhauxaǃnas might never have had to prove its defensive properties. Ridsdale reports that