Thimlich Ohinga

Neville Chittick, the former Director of the British Institute of History and Archaeology in East Africa, documented the site in the 1960s. Researchers from the National Museums of Kenya commenced work on the site in 1980. Once called "Liare Valley" after a valley to the north-east of the area, Thimlich Ohinga was gazetted as a Kenyan National Monument under its new name in 1981. The name was changed because "Liare Valley" did not describe the exact location of the site. The area is occupied by the Luo people. Thimlich means "frightening dense forest" and Ohinga means "a large fortress" in Dholuo, the language of the Luo. ==Location==

Thimlich Ohinga is located south of Kisumu in Migori county, on a gentle sloping hill north-west of Migori town near Macalder's Mines. The other 137 sites that resemble it are concentrated in the areas of Karungu, Kadem-Kanyamkago, Gwassi, Kaksingiri Lake headlands, Kanyidoto and Kanyamwa. ==Purpose==

The scale of Thimlich Ohinga and related structures points to an organised community that could mobilise labour and resources. The readily available rocks from the local environment provided the materials with which the enclosures were constructed. Luo oral traditions state that the enclosures were built for protection against wild animals, cattle rustlers and other hostile groups. These traditions suggest that Thimlich Ohinga was constructed by the then-inhabitants to serve as protection against outsiders in the Kadem and Kanyamwa areas, as well as from neighbouring ethnic groups from Tanzania. Aside from being a defensive fort, Thimlich Ohinga was also an economic, religious, and social hub. ==Builders and inhabitants==

Accurate dating of the site remains inconclusive. Quatz flakes of the late Stone Age type have been found on the site and presumed to predate it. The families living in the enclosures moved out into individual homesteads using euphorbia instead of stone as fencing material. A shift in mindset occurred as the local community moved from a communal living set-up to a more individualistic one. ==Architectural style==

The architectural style of the Thimlich Ohinga mirrors the building style of Great Zimbabwe, to the south in Zimbabwe, albeit smaller in size. One striking difference between the two is unlike Great Zimbabwe, Thimlich Ohinga was constructed using unshaped and random loose stones made from local basalt. At both sites, mortar and dressing were not used and therefore great care and skill was needed to ensure stability. ==Internal features==

A watchtower constructed from raised rocks is found immediately after the entrance. There are three entrances to the main monument at Thimlich Ohinga with one west facing and two east facing. An iron smith was present at Thimlich Ohinga. Iron slag, smoking bellows and iron objects have been found in a partially walled area next to the main enclosure. Imported glass beads at the site indicate that Thimlich Ohinga was part of a network of long-distance trade. ==Conservation==

The Kenya Wildlife Service, and the National Museums of Kenya have designated Thimlich Ohinga as a conservation site. Wild animals like guinea fowl, various species of monkeys, birds and antelope live in the forests surrounding the site. The National Museums of Kenya submitted a request to UNESCO, on behalf of the government, to include the Thimlich Ohinga Cultural Landscape on the World Heritage Site list. The location became a World Heritage Site in 2018. ==See also==