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Zimbabwe's second largest city and the nation's geographic hub, Bulawayo was once a royal village, the seat of the Ndebele dynasty until the British Colonial take-over in the late 19th century. Though the Ndebele state is long gone, the majority language, Sindebele, closely resembles the Ndebele language. The city of 500,000 is one of Zimbabwe's primary industrial centers, and frequently hosts major expositions and conventions. Despite its modern amenities, facilities and functions, Bulawayo boasts an array of old-fashioned sights, including a grand collection of turn-of-the-century buildings -- a refreshing change from the glittering modernity of the capital city, Harare. The city also offers several fine museums, including the world-class Museum of Natural History, which focuses on Zimbabwe's wildlife, ethnography, history and culture. The National Gallery showcases a variety of national treasures, including but not limited to Shona stone sculpture. And the Bulawayo Railway Museum includes exhibits of railcars from the Rhodesian period, among them the lavishly appointed private coach used by Cecil Rhodes in life and even in death -- it transported his body back toBulawayo after his death in Cape Town in 1902. Rhodes is buried outside Bulawayo, on his Matapos farm, his final resting place a wall of rock where a plaque marks his interment. A statue near the Main Court in Bulawayo oncehonored his memory, but was torn down in a fit of gleeful rage when Independence was finally achieved in 1980. Beyond the city limits, delights include the animal attractions of the Tshabalala Sanctuary, home of giraffe, zebra, kudu, impala, wildebeest and other wildlife; and theChipangali Wildlife Orphanage, where orphaned and injured animals -- including big cats -- are nursed back to health and cared for until relocation to wilderness habitats. Thenatural wonders of the Matapos Range, famous for some of the best stone-age rock paintings in the world; and the Matobo National Park, famous for its white rhinos, are also popular with wilderness sightseers.