Lesotho: Thaba Bosiu

Thaba Bosiu is an elevated mountain plateau east of Maseru which holds tremendous historical and cultural significance to the Bathoso people. It was here that King Moshoeshoe I led his people during the brutal wars, when first Zulu and then Boers invaded Lesotho and tried to annex and colonize it. The natural cliffs and flat summit provided excellent defense, with only a few narrow paths leading to the top, easily guarded. The small plateau was never conquered and eventually the king asked for the British protectorate and thus the nation of Lesotho was born. Today, the grounds at Thaba Bosiu have a fully restored cultural village as well as royal burial grounds. Thaba Bosiu is considered the spiritual heart of the Basotho nation, a place of pilgrimage and national pride.