UMgungundlovu

uMgungundlovu was the royal capital of the Zulu king Dingane (1828–1840) and one of several military complexes (amakhanda) 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 name uMgungundlovu stems from the Zulu word or phrase ungungu we ndlovu, which means "the secret conclave of the elephant". Some sources also refer to uMgungundlovu as "the place of the elephant". The word indlovu (elephant) refers to the king of the Zulu people.

Dingane established his royal kraal, or capital, at uMgungundlovu in 1829. He took power in 1828 after assassinating Shaka, his half-brother. This was one of the king's military complexes (amakhanda) and was located in the eMakhosini valley, just south of the White Umfolozi River on the slope of the Lion hill. It lay between two streams, the Umkhumbane to the south and Nzololo to the north.

Shaped like an oval, the ikhanda (military settlement), contained between 1,400 and 1,700 huts, which could house between 5,000 and 7,000 residents. This number varied as regiments were called up at different times. The huts stood six to eight deep and formed a huge circle around an open area, known as the large cattle kraal (isibaya esikulu). This space was also utilised for military parades and gatherings. The circle of huts was enclosed both inside and out by a strong defensive palisade.

The main entrance (isango) was on the northern, or lower, side of the slope against which the complex lay. This entrance was divided into two sections to control incoming and outgoing traffic. Narrow entrances at several places in the palisade controlled access to the ikhanda. Inside the arena were smaller cattle enclosures; these were built bordering the inside palisade of the hut circle, and contained the herds.

From the main entrance, which served as a dividing line between the eastern and western sections (uhlangoti), the huts of the warriors stretched round the circle of the royal area (isigodlo). On the eastern side were huts occupied by four selected regiments under the leadership of the chief (induna) Ndlela. On the western side were those under the command of the induna Dambuza. Scattered among these huts were stilted huts used for storage of warriors' shields.

...
Wikipedia