Engaruka, Archaeological site and protected monument in Monduli District, Tanzania
Engaruka is an archaeological site with stone-lined terraces and irrigation channels that spread across the slopes of the Rift Valley escarpment in northern Tanzania. The ruins include cultivation platforms, stone canals, and settlement remnants scattered across a wide area.
The settlement started in the 15th century when an Iron Age community built an extensive village system that grew for several centuries. The population gradually abandoned the site as conditions changed in the 18th century.
The site reveals how a farming community shaped their landscape by building waterways and terraces to make the land productive. These physical traces show the knowledge and labor that went into daily survival here.
The site is best reached during the dry season from June through October when unpaved roads are more passable. Local buses or hired motorcycles connect the nearby town of Mto wa Mbu to the starting point for exploring the ruins.
The inhabitants engineered a clever water system with channels built from cut stones that brought water from the Crater Highlands down to the fields. This technical skill allowed the community to feed thousands of people in a dry landscape.
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