From the outdoor dining area of Mantenga Lodge — which is where I stayed for one night in the country that at that time was known as Swaziland but is now the Kingdom of Eswatini — I saw a rather unusual mountain peak surrounded by interesting cloud formations off in the distance…
Sunday Morning Photograph August 28 2022: Execution Rock in Swaziland or Eswatini.
…and that mountain is known as Nyonyane Mountain — with its exposed granite peak at approximately 1,110 meters or almost 3,642 feet in elevation, which is known as Execution Rock — which is located in the Ezulwini Valley approximately 35 kilometers or almost 22 miles due south of the capital city of Mbabane.
Historical significance is associated with Nyonyane Mountain, as it is where the graves of Swazi royalty are situated and where ancient Bushmen once lived. According to ancient stories — which are often told as to how Execution Rock acquired its name — both criminals and local people who were suspected of witchcraft were purportedly forced to walk off the edge of the peak at the pointed end of a spear for their crimes.
Final Boarding Call
Hiking to the summit of Execution Rock is possible by accessing it through Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary.
You can read about the experience of my stay at Mantenga Lodge in this article — but I realized that I only published the first of two articles pertaining to that stay; so I intend to write and publish the second of two articles in the near future.
Please click here for a complete list of the Sunday Morning Photograph series of articles at The Gate, which include photographs taken of nature and sights of interest in many countries and territories around the world — including but not limited to:
- Andorra
- Argentina
- Bahamas
- Brazil
- Canada
- Colombia
- Czechia or Czech Republic
- Dominican Republic
- Estonia
- Finland
- Iceland
- Kenya
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Panama
- Poland
- Romania
- Slovenia
- South Korea
- Spain
- Swaziland or Eswatini
- Thailand
- United Arab Emirates
- United States
- Uruguay
All photographs ©2006 by Brian Cohen.
