150 years ago, the site of the Big Hole was a featureless, flat-topped hill. When word spread that diamonds had been discovered, thousands of prospectors, armed with nothing more than picks, shovels and hope, descended on Kimberley and created the largest hand-dug excavation in the world. Kimberly is one of the most unique and authentic historical destinations in South Africa, because of the Kimberley diamond mine, which occupies a surface of 17 hectares, 463 meters wide, for a depth of 240 meters, and it used to be active since 1871 to 1914. The Big Hole in Kimberley is considered for one of the deepest cavities excavated by man with a depth of 200 m². Next to the Big Hole is the Kimberley Mine Museum, the first ever discovery of diamond reserves in the country.