Thaba Bosiu

This weekend, August 11-12, has been a very busy one for us. The weekend began on Friday night was a braai (barbecue) at the home of Beautiful Gate’s director. The braai was to celebrate 4 birthdays that occurred in a one week period, and to say farewell to a couple and their family from Michigan, USA. They are returning home on August 14.

Then, on Saturday, we headed to Bloemfontain with the young couple who moved into the small house. (The trip to Bloemfontain provided grist for another story, but for another time.) On the way home we stopped in Ladybrand, a small South African town that is a 20 minute drive from Maseru. There we met up with folks for another dinner. One of the birthday folks was an Australian fellow and a couple of his expatriates had invited a significant portion of the Australian expatriate community, and others, to the ‘Greedy Goose’ to celebrate the birthday. It was a full evening of visiting and good food. (The Greedy Goose is certainly one place I will recommend to any one who might visit.)

But the highlight of the weekend was today’s (Sunday’s) visit to Thaba Bosiu. After the two nights of indulging in food, it was good to get out and do a hike. Thaba Bosiu is the most significant historical site in Lesotho. Before hiking up we were given a brief history by a local guide from the visitors’ information centre. Below I have augmented his information with some information derived from the Internet.

The history of Lesotho is actually very recent. “In the early 19th century, tribal groups fleeing from the violent Zulu King Shaka found refuge in the high Maluti Mountains. One group under Moshoeshoe I successfully defended the flat-topped sandstone plateau of Buta-Buthe Mountain for two years before relocating to Thaba Bosiu.”

“Moshoeshoe travelled from Butha-Buthe to Thaba Bosiu in 1824, fleeing the attackers that had terrorised his people. Butha-Buthe had been defensible but not impregnable, and Moshoeshoe sought a place that would be extremely difficult to capture. Thaba Bosiu was the ideal answer; its summit is surrounded by near–vertical cliffs, and good grazing and freshwater springs are be found at the top.”

Personnally, I didn’t think of the site as a mountain. The area appears to be part of an ancient plain with softer sediments underlying a 40 foot (12 meter) band of sandstone. In essence, Thaba Bosiu is another “flat-topped sandstone plateau” which has been isolated from the surrounding plain by water erosion. So, it is a quick steep climb to the top of a basically flat landscape about 4 square miles in area (10 square kilometres).

The following websites were sources of information. For those interested in more of the history of Lesotho, the first is probably the best.
http://www.malealea.co.ls/basotho_culture.html#thaba
http://www.go2africa.com/lesotho/lesotho/thaba-bosiu/
http://www.geoffstravelscrapbook.co.uk/main/reports/2002/lesotho2.htm

While the history was of interest (especially learning that Lesotho as a distinct territory has existed for less than 200 years) it was the quietness and natural state of the area that made it a most enjoyable afternoon.

It was a warm day with a gentle breeze. In places we sat on the edge of the sandstone cliffs and looked down on the serene villages below. The sounds of a lazy afternoon wafted up to where we sat on the outcrops; the clang of a cowbell, the crow of a rooster, the bark of a dog, or the voice of one Masotho calling to a neighbor. And at one spot the strains of music floated up on the wind from a home below.

I also enjoyed sitting and watching the pace of life passing by below - a herder leisurely tending his cattle; another person moving his donkeys along, one young boy trying to catch up to another on a long dusty trail, and others strolling along paths between villages. It was a most restful and relaxing day.

Looking out over the plains from the top of Thabo Bosiu.

Two shots of the sandstone outcrops overlooking the villages.

Two of the villages below Thabo Bosiu.

Two women returning to a village. And no, the dominant structure is not the round rondevels. I just happen to like photographing them.

I have been intrigued by the "trees" below, that seem to be everywhere. Today I had a close look, and what they appear to be is the flower of the large aloe vera variety that you can see at the bottom. It seems that the aloe vera puts all or its energy into the huge flower and then dies, as at the base of each "tree" was a dead aloe vera.

Two shots taken from within the few ruins of houses that remain at the top of Thabo Bosiu. Another surprise for me was to learn that these "traditional" stone homes have only been about for somewhere around 150 years when Irish settlers in the area were welcomed by the Basotho, and then provide the Basotho with the training and technology to build the stone houses - first round ones and later, rectangular structures.

A couple of views of the top. On the right is the royal family cemetery. Members of the royal family of Lesotho continue to be buried here. Only the most recent deceased king has a grave marked with something more elaborate that these piles of stones.

My travelling companions on this trek. In total we spent an enjoyable and leisurely 2 1/2 hours exploring Thaba Bosiu.

~ Benno ~