One of the most important Tanzanian archaeological sites, Engaruka is an abandoned system of ruins in the Great Rift Valley of northern Tanzania, famed for its irrigation and cultivation system. Sometime in the 15th century, an iron age farmer community with a large continuous village area on the footslopes of the Rift Valley escarpment, housing several thousand people developed an intricate irrigation and cultivation system, involving a stone-block canal channelling water from the ""Crater Highlands"" rift escarpment to stonelined cultivation terraces.
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The site has been linked to the Sonjo, a people living some 60 miles to the northwest known for their use of irrigation systems in agriculture and similar terraced village sites. The lack of burial sites, the identity of the founders of this farming community and how they developed such an ingenious farming system are puzzling to researchers. For an unknown reason, Engaruka was abandoned at latest in mid 1800s.
Guided by Maasai warriors, it is possible to walk through the mysterious ruined city of Engaruka and the surrounding scrubland or visit local farms. Daywalks for birdwatching at the foot and slopes of the Rift Valley, visits to sites from the German colonial period, a climb of Oldoinyo Lengai, a semi-active volcanic mountain and a view into the Maasai culture, who continue a life of simplicity and peace provide alternative activities. Profits from your visit are used to protect the ruined city of Engaruka.
 Accommodation
in Engaruka
Images
of Engaruka
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