Case file · Folklore / legend
Lobengula's treasure
After the Ndebele king Lobengula fled north in 1893 and died early in 1894, stories spread that his wagons of gold and ivory had been buried in a secret place.
1894 CE · -18.60, 27.50 · status: legend
The account
Legends say the men who hid the treasure were killed to keep the secret, and treasure hunters have searched north-western Zimbabwe ever since. The place of Lobengula's own grave was also kept secret.
The sceptical view
No treasure has been found; historians doubt the hoard ever existed on the scale told. Position approximate.