As a new city, the capital of the Ndebele people—Bulawayo—was established less recently than many cities set up by the East African Kingdom.
Lobengula and his father Chilikaqi employed a large number of slaves to build their capital city, and although the city is not large, it clearly showcases characteristics of both Arab and European architecture.
On one hand, the influence of Arabs on the eastern coast of Africa is profound, and even the southern Zulu people are not exempt; the Ndebele people, being a branch of the Zulu people, are similar.
On the other hand, what the Ndebele people learned from their old rivals, the Boers, however when Boers occupied Transvaal, they lacked the time and manpower for luxurious buildings, mainly constructing Dutch-style or German-French style simple fortresses.
