The Idanre Hill, or Oke Idanre is located in Idanre town in

Ondo State Ondo State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Oǹdó) is a state in southwestern Nigeria. It was created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. It borders Ekiti State to the north, Kogi State to the northeast, Edo State to the east, Delta State to t ...

of southwestern

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. The

Idanre Idanre is a Local Government Area and historic town in Ondo State, Nigeria. The town is located at the foot of the scenic Idanre Hill which is of unique cultural and environmental significance, and attracts many tourists. The town is about sout ...

hill is well-known for its landscape. Its wide variety on cultural sites as 'Owa's Palace', shrines, The Old Court, Belfry, Agbooogun footprint, thunder water (Omi Apaara) and burial grounds have since brought the location fame and the nation's nomination for the

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

shortlist.Oke Idanre (Idanre Hill) - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
/ref> It resides 3000 ft (914.4meters) above sea level and houses a unique ecosystem upon which the cultural landscape has Integrated.

Geology

Idanre Hills is located on a Precambrian igneous batholith that is about 500 Million years old, and is cut by several large fracture that form deep valleys within the rocks.

World Heritage status

This site was added to the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

Tentative List on October 8, 2007 in the Cultural category. Unseco_heritage_hill

Myths

Idanre Hill is said to have 9 ancient wonders and beliefs All the following myths are located on the Idanre hills; 1. "Ibi Akaso" The Steps 2. The King's Palace 3. Agboogun’s Legacy 4. Unreadable signs 5. Agboogun's footprint 6. The wonderful mat 7. "Omi Aopara" Aopara Water 8. The Orosun Hill 9. Arun river

Wildlife

Amietophrynus perreti ''Sclerophrys perreti'' (formerly ''Amietophrynus perreti'') is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to the Idanre Hills in southwestern Nigeria. ''Sclerophrys perreti'' is one of the frogs declared as "Lost" in 2010. However, ...

'', or the Perret's toad, is only known from a single locality at the Idanre Hill. The five sites where forest elephants are found in southern Nigeria are the Omo Forests in Ogun State, the Okomu National Park in Edo State, the Cross River National Park in Cross River State, the Idanre Forests and Osse River Park in Ondo State and the Andoni Island in Rivers State. (Nigerian Conservation Foundation)

Civilization

The

ancient Ancient history is a time period from the History of writing, beginning of writing and recorded human history to as far as late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian language, Sumerian c ...

settlement Settlement may refer to: *Human settlement, a community where people live *Settlement (structural), the distortion or disruption of parts of a building * Closing (real estate), the final step in executing a real estate transaction *Settlement (fin ...

of Idanre has existed on the hill since antiquity, however

Western civilization Leonardo da Vinci's ''Vitruvian Man''. Based on the correlations of ideal Body proportions">human proportions with geometry described by the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius in Book III of his treatise ''De architectura''. image:Plato Pio-Cle ...

was introduced to the ancient city when a team of

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

led by Rev. Gilbert Carter arrived in the year 1894. The missionaries built the first primary

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...

in the year 1896 of which the

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

building A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory (although there's also portable buildings). Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and fun ...

still stands strong till this day. In the year 1906, a

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

court A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance ...

was established which includes an ancient

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...

where the

convict A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison". Convicts are often also known as "prisoners" or "inmates" or by the slang term "con", while a common label for former convict ...

s spend their

jail A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...

term.

Notes

References

Oke Idanre (Idanre Hill) - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Retrieved 2009-03-03. http://www.ncfnigeria.org/careers/item/163-forest-elephant-alive-campaign {{coord missing, Nigeria Nigerian culture Tourist attractions in Ondo State Mountains and hills of Yorubaland Hills of Nigeria World Heritage Sites in Nigeria Inselbergs of Africa