Ifẹ̀ Kingdom

History

Ilé-Ifè, the ancient Yorùbá city, which lies in present-day Ọ̀ṣun

State, southwestern Nigeria, is considered one of the largest and

oldest towns of the Yorùbá Kingdom. The Yorùbá, the holy city,

founded around 500 B.C. is the birthplace of humankind. Ilé-Ifè was

first established when an early Yorùbá leader, Odùduwà, and his

army invaded the city and pushed its early Igbo inhabitants to the

east, the Yorùbá say the city was created where the gods first came

to earth. “Ifè was founded by the deities Odùduwà and Ọbatalá

when they created the world. Ọbatalá fashioned the first humans

out of clay while Odùduwà became the first divine king of the

Yorùbá people. The city is as such, aptly called, Ilé-Ifè, the place of

dispersion. The city of Ife currently has an estimated population of

about half a million people. The city is also home to one of the

prestigious Academic Institutions in West Africa, Obafemi Awolowo

University, and boasts the Natural History Museum of Nigeria. Ile Ife

continues to serve as a spiritual core for the Yorùbá people.

Source of Information: Wikipedia, The Nigeria Voice 24 March

2018.