Olumo Rock

Last updated

Olumo Rock is a mountain in south-western Nigeria. It is located in the city of Abeokuta, Ogun State, and was normally used as a natural fortress during inter-tribal warfare in the 19th century. Its patron spirit is venerated in the Yoruba religion as an orisha. The name olumo is the combination of two words: "olu" which means god/deity, and "mo" which means moulded.

Contents

Tourism

This is a picture of Olumo Rock in Abeokuta, Ogun state. A renowned tourist attraction in Nigeria. It is an historical site. Rock Abeokuta.jpg
This is a picture of Olumo Rock in Abeokuta, Ogun state. A renowned tourist attraction in Nigeria. It is an historical site.
Elevator gears at Olumo.jpg

Olumo Rock is located in the city of Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria. Historically, the rock was a natural fortress for the Egbas during inter-tribal warfare in the 19th century. It provided protection to the Egba people when they needed it, and is now held in high esteem by the members of the clan. [1] [2] [3] The mountain, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Nigeria, sits in the heart of Abeokuta – a name which means “Under the rock” in the Yoruba language. The rock has a height of 137 meters above sea level. Abeokuta was originally inhabited by the Egbas, who the rock provided with sanctuary and gave a vantage point to monitor the enemy’s advance, leading to eventual triumph in war. The town of Abeokuta eventually grew as these new settlers spread out from this location.

Hide out cave during 19th century Egba war.jpg
Olumo Rock is located in the ancient city of Abeokuta, Ogun State. Historically, the rock was a natural fortress for the Egbas during inter-tribal warfare in the 19th century. Entrance to Olumo Rock.jpg
Olumo Rock is located in the ancient city of Abeokuta, Ogun State. Historically, the rock was a natural fortress for the Egbas during inter-tribal warfare in the 19th century.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ogun State</span> State of Nigeria

Ogun State is a state in southwestern Nigeria. Created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. Ogun State borders Lagos State to the south, Oyo State and Osun State to the north, Ondo State to the east, and the Republic of Benin to the west. Abeokuta is both Ogun State's capital and most populous city; other important cities in the state include Ijebu-Ode, the capital of the Ijebu Kingdom, and Sagamu, Nigeria's leading kola nut grower. Ogun state is covered predominantly by rain forest and has wooden savanna in the northwest. Ogun State had a total population of 3,751,140 residents as of 2006, making Ogun State the 16th most populated state in Nigeria. In terms of landmass, Ogun State is the 24th largest State in Nigeria with land area of 16,762 kilometer square.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ebute Metta</span>

Ebute Metta is a neighbourhood of Lagos Mainland, Lagos, in Lagos State, Nigeria.

The Ẹgbado, now Yewa, are a subgroup of the Yoruba people and inhabit the eastern area of Ogun West Senatorial District, Ogun State, in south-west Nigeria, Africa. In 1995 they changed their name to the Yewa which comes from the Yewa River which in turn comes from the Yoruba goddess Yewa. Your clan now comprises 4 local Governments Yewa South, Yewa North, Imeko-Afon, and Ipokia, while the Ado-Odo/Ota LGA forms the 5th Awori part of the senatorial district.

The Egba people are a subgroup of the Yoruba people, an ethnic group of western Nigeria, a majority of whom are from the central part of Ogun State that is Ogun Central Senatorial District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Awori tribe</span> Tribe of the Yoruba people

The Awori is a subgroup of the Yoruba people speaking a dialect of the Yoruba language.The Awori people are the original inhabitants of Lagos State and some parts of Ogun State, namely Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State. The Awori people are landowners, farmers and fishermen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abeokuta</span> Capital city of Ogun State, Nigeria

Abeokuta is the capital city of Ogun State in southwest Nigeria. It is situated on the east bank of the Ogun River, near a group of rocky outcrops in a wooded savanna; 77 kilometres (48 mi) north of Lagos by railway, or 130 kilometres (81 mi) by water. As of 2006, Abeokuta and the surrounding area had a population of 449,088.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yoruba people</span> Ethnic group in West Africa

The Yoruba people are a West African ethnic group who mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by the Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute more than 44 million people in Africa, are over a million outside the continent, and bear further representation among members of the African diaspora. The vast majority of the Yoruba population is today within the country of Nigeria, where they make up 15.5% of the country's population according to CIA estimations, making them one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa. Most Yoruba people speak the Yoruba language, which is the Niger-Congo language with the largest number of native or L1 speakers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Obafemi Owode</span> LGA in Ogun State, Nigeria

Obafemi Owode is a Local Government Area in Ogun State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Owode at 6°57′N3°30′E.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ado-Odo</span> Metropolis in Ogun, Nigeria

Ado-Odo is the metropolitan headquarters of the kingdom of Ado, renowned for its Oduduwa/Obatala temple, the ancient fortress of the traditional practice of Ifá. Oodu'a is also regarded by traditionalists as the mother of all deities worldwide. All of these made Ado an inviolate territory in western Yorubaland—the same "father-figure" status accorded to Ile-Ife. Unlike the other kingdoms, which had at one time or the other engaged in the internecine wars that ravaged Yorubaland in the nineteenth century, Ado stood out as an unconquered sanctuary city-state throughout the period.

Gbalefa Peninsula is an area of land located south of Abeokuta and north of Lagos city. Gbalefa Peninsula was named after Akindele Gbalefa, the outstanding Owu warrior who led the Owu/Egba war against Ilobi, Ado-Odo and Dahomey.

Egba Ake, otherwise known as Egba Alake, is one of the four sections of Egbaland, the others being Oke-Ona, Gbagura, the Owu. In Abeokuta Town, however, there is also Ibara Kingdom. It is a traditional state which joins with its bordering sections to form something of a high kingship. The Alake of Abeokuta, or Alake of Egbaland, is the traditional ruler of the Egba clan of Yoruba in the city of Abeokuta in southwestern Nigeria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ogun River</span> River in Nigeria

The Ogun River is a waterway in Nigeria that discharges into the Lagos Lagoon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alake of Egbaland (title)</span> Royal title in Egbaland

The Alake of Egbaland is the paramount Yoruba king of the Egba, a clan in Abeokuta, Ogun State, southwestern Nigeria. Egba consists of Egba Ake, Owu kingdom, Oke-Ona and Egba Gbagura.

The Ibarapa are a Yoruba people group located in the Southwestern corner of Oyo State. The name of the group is derived from a local cultivar of the melon plant, known locally as Egusi Ibara, which was historically acknowledged by neighboring peoples such as the Egbas, Ibadans and Oyos to be extensively cultivated in the area.

Iju also known as Iju Oloko [idʒou ɔ:lɔkɔ], is a Nigerian town located in southern Ogun state and about 18 kilometers from Lagos state, a major commercial hub in West Africa. The town is inhabited mostly by Owu and Egba natives whose ancestors settled there between 1842 and 1845.

Wasinmi or Wasimi is an Egba town located on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway in Ewekoro local government of Ogun State. It is a few miles from Abeokuta. It is home to one of the oldest churches in the area, St. Michael's Anglican Church, and home to Odegbami International College and Sports Academy.

Egba Gbagura is one of the five sections of Egbaland, the others being Ake, Oke-Ona, the Owu and Ibara. It is a traditional state which joins with its bordering sections to form something of a high kingship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isaac Delano</span> Nigerian writer and political activist

Chief Isaac Oluwole Delano was a Yoruba and Nigerian writer, educationist, political activist, nationalist, radio broadcaster, teacher, and a pioneering linguist and lexicographer of the Yoruba language.

Okukenu Sagbua was a Yoruba Egba chief. He was a founding member of the Ogboni of Egbaland, and also served as the first Alake of Egbaland.

References

  1. Jimoh Babatunde (August 17, 2012). "Olumo Rock: Egbas' shelter, fortress". Nigeria: Vanguard. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
  2. Ayodeji Ayodele (14 May 2014). "Olumo Rock:An American tourist destination". Nigerian Tribune. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
  3. Kola Tubosun (16 April 2014). "Abeokuta's Living History". KTravula.com.