Saturday's rally had the support of the army and members of the governing Zanu-PF party.
Veterans
of Zimbabwe's war for independence - who until last year were loyal to
the president, the best-known among them - are also saying Mr Mugabe
should quit.
Outside State House, the official residence, some
people staged a sit-down protest in front of a line of troops, and
opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai addressed the crowd, to cheers.
The BBC's Andrew Harding in Harare says this is a watershed moment and there can be no return to power for Mr Mugabe.
Our
correspondent says the situation may appear to be getting out of
Zanu-PF's control and there could be a broad push to introduce a
transitional government that includes the opposition. On Friday, Mr Mugabe made his first public appearance since being confined to his house.
He spoke only to open the graduation at a university of which he is chancellor.
Grace
Mugabe was not present. It had been thought she had left the country
but it emerged on Thursday that she was at home with Mr Mugabe. Mr Mugabe sacked Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa
last week, apparently to pave the way for Grace Mugabe, who is four
decades younger than him, to take over the presidency.
Zanu-PF's top body is meeting on Sunday to discuss dismissing Mr Mugabe as party leader.
Negotiating Mugabe's exit
Analysis by Anne Soy, BBC News, Harare
Negotiations
are going on behind the scenes to persuade President Mugabe to step
down. It is understood that he has insisted that he cannot do so and
legitimise a coup.
The military maintains this is not a coup and
there is international pressure to use constitutional means to resolve
the political crisis. Negotiators are poring through Zimbabwe's laws to
find a legal way out.
Saturday's call for civilians to take to
the streets looks choreographed to lend some legitimacy to the
transition process being discussed.
President Mugabe's support
base has continued to crumble. Independence war veterans, who fought
alongside him against colonial rule, have also called on their former
leader to leave.
But the biggest blow yet to Mr Mugabe could be
delivered by the central committee of his ruling Zanu-PF on Sunday.
Their meeting could see Robert Mugabe dismissed as party leader.
Who is backing the protest in Harare?
The influential war veterans'
association. Leader Christopher Mutsvangwa had called for a huge
turnout, saying: "We want to restore our pride."
The ruling Zanu-PF. At least eight out
of 10 regional branches voted on Friday for Mr Mugabe to resign as
president and party secretary. Several regional leaders appeared on TV
saying he should step down, Grace Mugabe should resign from the party
and Mr Mnangagwa should be reinstated to the central committee.
The Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) said
the rally was a "solidarity march". It said: "As long as the planned
march remains orderly, peaceful... and without hate speech and
incitement to cause violence, it fully supports the march."
Soldiers
seized the headquarters of Zimbabwe's national broadcaster ZBC on
Wednesday, and loud explosions and gunfire were heard.
Maj Gen
Sibusiso Moyo then read out a statement on national television, assuring
the nation that President Mugabe and his family were safe.
Media caption Why is Zimbabwe in such a bad way?The military was only targeting what he called "criminals" around the president, he said, denying that there had been a coup.
On
Thursday, Mr Mugabe was pictured smiling as he took part in talks with
an army general and South African government ministers at State House
but sources suggested he might be resisting pressure to resign.
What has been the reaction around the world?
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson
urged a quick return to civilian rule, but also said the crisis was an
opportunity for Zimbabwe to set itself on a new path
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Beijing was hoping for stability and a peaceful "appropriate" resolution
UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson warned against a transition from "one unelected tyrant" to another
Botswana's President Ian Khama said regional leaders did not support Mr Mugabe staying in power
Alpha Conde, the chairman of the
African Union, a key regional bloc, said the takeover "seems like a
coup" and demanded a return to constitutional order
South Africa's President Jacob Zuma
said the region was committed to supporting the people of Zimbabwe, and
was optimistic the situation could be resolved amicably
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