ǁKhauxaǃnas

ǁKhauxaǃnas is an uninhabited village with an ancient ruined fortress in south-eastern Namibia, east of the Great Karas Mountains. It is the oldest systematically designed and built structure in Namibia, pre-dating all buildings erected by Europeans. Built at the end of the 18th century, most likely between 1796 and 1798 by Klaas Afrikaner and his two sons Jager and Titus, ǁKhauxaǃnas served as a hidden retreat and a fortress to fend off possible pursuits by Cape authorities. The Orlam Afrikaner tribe left the place in the 1820s but it continued to be inhabited by the Veldschoendragers tribe until the mid-19th century.Location and site descriptionǁKhauxaǃnas is situated in the eastern part of the ǁKaras Region in southern Namibia, 173km south-east of Keetmanshoop. It lies on the banks of Bak River, 6km off the district road D612. The nearest inhabited settlement is Warmfontein, 24km to the north-west. The site can only be reached by four-wheel drive vehicles, and the last kilometer has to be reached on foot.The site named ǁKhauxaǃnas refers to the fortified settlement atop the hill overlooking the Bak River. It consists of a trapezium-shaped walled-in enclosure of approximately 150 by 350 meters, and contains several ruins of buildings and kraals. Most of the dwellings are situated near the perimeter wall, which contains 23 doorways. The settlement directly adjacent to the west is the Veldschoendragers Schans Vlakte village that was described by 19th century missionaries. It is equally uninhabited today and contains the ruins of a church that was designed to accommodate 300 people. While the fortification was built by piling sandstone slabs and fitting them together, for the church walls mortar was used.