Ilé-Ifè

Ifè (or Ilé-Ifè, the sacred place of creation) is an ancient city created by the Yoruba people and located in the southwestern part of the country of Nigeria. Recently, evidence has been discovered that pushes the history of this city back to around 500 BC. During this period, the Yoruba around Ifè were agriculturalists. They had domesticated many crops used in their diets.

The city of Ifè is said to have originated when the founding deities, Oduduwa and Obatala, began the creation of the world. According to the origin legend of the Yoruba, these deities were directed by the paramount deity, Olodumare. Because the city was founded by the early deities of Yoruba, it is generally regarded as the city where God made the world come into being. It is the sacred place, the mighty spiritual center of all Yoruba, because the creation of the world is recognized as starting at this place.

It was here that Obatala created the first humans out of clay, while Oduduwa was designated the first divine king of the Yoruba. The Oni of Ifè claims direct descent from the god Oduduwa and is ranked first among Yoruba kings. Thus, the importance of Ifè is directly related to its origin and the fact that the divinities chose the site as one for the miracle of creation.

The city of Ifè has always been significant, but between 700 and 900 AD it appeared to leap in artistic contributions. A renaissance in the culture of the region led by the people of Ifè produced a tremendous amount of artwork during this period. The city developed as a major center for culture, and the city was a settlement of substantial size between the 9th and 12th centuries, with houses decorated with the icons and symbols of the Yoruba. Ilé-Ifè, as it is called, became known worldwide for its incredible bronze sculptures and terracotta figures. This art movement reached its height between 1200 and 1500 AD. Soon there was a decline in the political and economic power of the Yoruba people as the nearby kingdom of Benin began to dominate the landscape of southern Nigeria.

Ifè is still a thriving city with lots of trade and farming. In fact, the people of the region grow yams, grain, cassava, tobacco, and cotton. Thus, the city has continued to be a center of human activity into the modern era, and the Oni of Ifè still resides in the palace in the city. A bustling city, Ifè boasts hotels, a university, and radio and TV stations. Yet the most powerful legacy of the city is its bronze heads that created a period of realism long before the European Renaissance and demonstrated the advanced civilization that existed in West Africa.