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Ifẹ̀ (, ''Ilé-Ifẹ̀'') is an ancient Yoruba city in south-western
Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
founded sometime between the years
1000 BC The 1000s BC is a decade which lasted from 1009 BC to 1000 BC. Events and trends * 1006 BC—David becomes king of the ancient United Kingdom of Israel (traditional date). ( see ) * Earliest evidence of farming in the Kenya highlands. * c. 10 ...
and
500 BC __NOTOC__ The year 500 BC was a year of the Roman calendar, pre-Julian Roman calendar. In the Roman Republic it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Camerinus and Longus (or, less frequently, year 254 '' Ab urbe condita''). when the Anno ...
. By 900 AD, the city had become an important West African emporium producing sophisticated art forms. The city is located in present-day
Osun State Osun (; ), is a state in southwestern Nigeria; bounded to the east by Ekiti and Ondo states for 84 km and for 78 km respectively, to the north by Kwara State for 73 km, to the south by Ogun State for 84 km and to the wes ...
. Ifẹ̀ is about 218 kilometers northeast of
Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...
with a population of over 500,000 people, which is the highest in Osun State according to population census of 2006. According to the traditions of the
Yoruba religion The Yorùbá religion (Yoruba language, Yoruba: Ìṣẹ̀ṣe), West African Orisa (Òrìṣà), or Isese (Ìṣẹ̀ṣe), comprises the traditional religious and spiritual concepts and practice of the Yoruba people. Its homeland is in pres ...
, Ilé-Ifẹ̀ was founded by the order of the Supreme
God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
Olódùmarè by Obatala. It then fell into the hands of his brother Oduduwa, which created enmity between the two.Bascom, ''Yoruba'', p. 10; Stride, Ifeka: "Peoples and Empires", p. 290. Oduduwa created a dynasty there, and sons and daughters of this dynasty became rulers of many other kingdoms in
Yorubaland Yorubaland () is the homeland and cultural region of the Yoruba people in West Africa. It spans the modern-day countries of Nigeria, Togo and Benin, and covers a total land area of . Of this land area, 106,016 km2 (74.6%) lies within Niger ...
.Akinjogbin, I. A. (Hg.): ''The Cradle of a Race: Ife from the Beginning to 1980'', Lagos 1992 (The book also has chapters on the present religious situation in the town). The first Ọọ̀ni of Ifẹ̀ is a descendant of Oduduwa, which was the 401st
Orisha Orishas (singular: orisha) are divine spirits that play a key role in the Yoruba religion of West Africa and several religions of the African diaspora that derive from it, such as Haitian Vaudou, Cuban Santería and Brazilian Candomblé. The p ...
. The present ruler since 2015 is Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II, Ọọ̀ni of Ifẹ̀ who is also a Nigerian accountant.Olupona, ''201 Gods'', 94. Named as the city of 401
deities A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...
, Ifẹ̀ is home to many devotees/votaries of these deities and is where they are routinely celebrated through
festival A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...
s. Ilé-Ifẹ̀ is famous worldwide for its ancient and naturalistic bronze, stone and terracotta sculptures, dating back to between 1200 and 1400 CE.


History


Origin of Ife: Creation of the world

According to
Yoruba religion The Yorùbá religion (Yoruba language, Yoruba: Ìṣẹ̀ṣe), West African Orisa (Òrìṣà), or Isese (Ìṣẹ̀ṣe), comprises the traditional religious and spiritual concepts and practice of the Yoruba people. Its homeland is in pres ...
, Olodumare, the Supreme God, ordered Obatala to create the earth, however on his way he over indulged in palm wine and got drunk. Thence, a contemporary
Orisha Orishas (singular: orisha) are divine spirits that play a key role in the Yoruba religion of West Africa and several religions of the African diaspora that derive from it, such as Haitian Vaudou, Cuban Santería and Brazilian Candomblé. The p ...
to the former, Oduduwa, took the items of creation from him, descended from the abode of the Orisha on a chain and cast the handful of earth on the primordial ocean. The earth rose and became a mound called Oke Ora. He then put a five-toed cockerel on this primordial mound so that it would scatter the earth around, thus creating the land on which Ile Ife, the first city would be built. Oduduwa planted a palm nut in a hole in the newly formed land and from there sprang a great tree with sixteen branches, a symbolic representation of the 16 clans of the early Ife pre-urban confederation; ''Elu Merindinlogun'', (Thirteen initial and 3 later ones). The usurpation of creation by Oduduwa, gave rise to an ever-lasting conflict between him and his contemporaneous rival Orisha, Obatala. This symbolic rivalry is still re-enacted in the modern era by the votary groups of the two divinities during the Itapa New Year festival. On account of his creation of the world, Oduduwa became the ancestor of the first divine king of the Yoruba, while Obatala is believed to have created the first Yoruba people out of clay. The meaning of the word "''Ife''" in Yoruba is "expansion"; "Ile-Ife" is therefore in reference to the myth of origin as "The Land of Expansion" (the word, Ile, as pronounced in modern Yoruba language, means house or home, which would make the name of the city mean "The Home of Expansion").


Origin of the regional states: Dispersal from the holy city

Oduduwa had sons, daughters, and grandchildren, who went on to found their own kingdoms and empires, namely;
Ila Orangun Ìlá Òràngún (or Ila) is an Ancient history, ancient city in Osun State, Nigeria, that was the capital of an ancient city-state of the same name in the Igbomina area of Yorubaland in south-western Nigeria. Ìlá Òràngún is more populous th ...
, Owu, Ketu, Sabe, Egba, Popo and Oyo. Oranmiyan, Oduduwa's last born, was one of his father's principal ministers and overseer of the nascent Edo kingdom after Oduduwa granted the plea of the
Edo people The Edo people, also referred to as the Benin City, Benin people, are an Edoid languages, Edoid-speaking Ethnicity, ethnic group. They are prominently native to seven Edo South Senatorial District, southern Local government areas of Nigeria, loc ...
for his governance. When Oranmiyan decided to go back to Ile Ife, after a period of service in
Benin Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...
, he left behind a child named Eweka that he had in the interim with an indigenous princess of Benin, Erinmwinde, daughter of the King (Ogie) of
Egor Egor is a Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Uselu. Egor is one of the Local Government Areas that are part of the larger metropolitan area of Benin City. It has an area of 93 km and a populati ...
, a neighbouring settlement to nascent Benin. The young boy went on to become the first widely accepted ruler and Oba of the second
Edo Edo (), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the '' de facto'' capital of Japan from 1603 as the seat of the Tokugawa shogu ...
dynasty that has ruled what is now
Benin Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...
from that day to this. Oranmiyan later migrated northwestwards into the savanna plains to found the Oyo. Oyo later became an empire that stretched at its height from the western or right bank of the
Niger River The Niger River ( ; ) is the main river of West Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. It runs in a crescent shape through Mali, Nige ...
to the eastern or left banks of the
Volta River The Volta River (, , ) is the main Drainage system (geomorphology), river system in the West African country of Ghana. It flows south into Ghana from the Bobo-Dioulasso Department, Bobo-Dioulasso highlands of Burkina Faso. The three main part ...
. It would become known as one of the most powerful of Africa's medieval states, prior to its collapse in the mid 19th century.


Traditional setting


The King (''Ooni'' of Ile-Ife)

The Oòni (or king) of Ife is a descendant of the godking Oduduwa, and is counted as the spiritual leader among the Yoruba kings however he does not reign supreme over the other descendants of Oduduwa . He is traditionally considered the 401st spirit (''Orisha''), the only one that speaks. In fact, the royal dynasty of Ife traces its origin back to the founding of the city more than ten thousand years before the birth of Jesus Christ. The present ruler is Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi (Ojaja II). The
Ooni The Ooni of Ile-Ife (Ọọ̀ni of Ilè-Ifẹ̀) is the traditional ruler of Ifẹ, Ilé-Ifẹ̀. The Ooni dynasty existed before the reign of Oduduwa which historians have argued to have been between the 7th-9th centuries A.D. After the de ...
ascended his throne in 2015. Following the formation of the Yoruba Orisha Congress in 1986, the Ooni acquired an international status the likes of which the holders of his title hadn't had since the city's colonisation by the British. Nationally he had always been prominent amongst the Federal Republic of Nigeria's company of royal Obas, being regarded as the ''chief priest and custodian of the holy city'' of all the Yorubas. In former times, the palace of the Ooni of Ife was a structure built of authentic enameled bricks, decorated with artistic porcelain tiles and all sorts of ornaments. At present, it is a more modern series of buildings. The current Ooni, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II, Ooni of Ife, (born October 17, 1974) is a Nigerian accountant and the 51st Ooni of Ife. He succeeded the late Oba Okunade Sijuwade(Olubuse II) who was the 50th ooni of Ife, and who had died on July 28, 2015.


Cults of Divinities

Ife is well known as the city of 401 deities (also known as irumole or orishas). It is said that every day of the year the traditional worshippers celebrate a festival of one of these deities. Often the festivals extend over more than one day and they involve both priestly activities in the palace and theatrical dramatisations in the rest of the kingdom. Historically the King only appeared in public during the annual Olojo festival (celebration of the new dawn); other important festivals here include the Itapa festival for Obatala and Obameri, the Edi festival for
Moremi Ajasoro Moremi Ajasoro (Yoruba language, Yoruba: ''Mọremí Àjàṣorò'') was a legendary Yoruba people, Yoruba queen and folk heroine in the Yorubaland region of present-day South West Nigeria, southwestern Nigeria who assisted in the liberation of t ...
and the Ugbo with their Igare (Oluyare) masqueraders. Kings and gods were often depicted with large heads because the artists believed that the ''Ase'' was held in the head, the ''Ase'' being the inner power and energy of a person. Both historic figures of Ife and the offices associated with them are represented. One of the best documented among this is the early king Obalufon II who is said to have invented bronze casting and is honored in the form of a naturalistic copper life-size mask. The city was a settlement of substantial size between the 12th and 14th centuries, with houses featuring potsherd pavements. Ilé-Ifè is known worldwide for its ancient and naturalistic bronze, stone and terracotta sculptures, which reached their peak of artistic expression between 1200 and 1400 CE In the period around 1300 CE the artists at Ife developed a refined and naturalistic sculptural tradition in terracotta, stone and copper alloy—copper, brass, and bronze—many of which appear to have been created under the patronage of King Obalufon II, the man who today is identified as the Yoruba patron deity of brass casting, weaving and regalia. After this period, production declined as political and economic power shifted to the nearby kingdom of
Benin Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...
which, like the Yoruba kingdom of Oyo, developed into a major empire.
Bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...
and
terracotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramic OED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for earthenware obj ...
art created by this
civilization A civilization (also spelled civilisation in British English) is any complex society characterized by the development of state (polity), the state, social stratification, urban area, urbanization, and symbolic systems of communication beyon ...
are significant examples of naturalism in pre-colonial African art and are distinguished by their variations in regalia, facial marking patterns, and body proportions. Ancient Ife also was famous for its glass beads which have been found at sites as far away as
Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...
,
Mauritania Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...
, and
Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
. File:Brooklyn Museum L54.5 Fragment of a Head (3).jpg,
Terracotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramic OED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for earthenware obj ...
head representing ''Ooni'' or King of Ife, 12th to 16th century File:Afrikaabteilung in Ethnological Museum Berlin 02.JPG, A sculpture of an Ife king or dignitary in the collection of the Ethnological Museum of Berlin


Shrines, altars, and temples

Igbo Olokun: Igbo Olokun used to be a forested, sacred grove (igbo) that housed shrines at which the goddess Olokun was worshipped. Igbo Olokun in the city of Ile-Ife, in south-western Nigeria, was said to have a history of glass makers with unique manufacturing techniques in West Africa. Glass beads and associated production materials were found there during excavation. Analysis of the composition of the artefacts and preliminary dating of the site puts the main timing of glass-working between the 11th and 15th centuries AD. The results of these studies suggest that glass bead manufacture at this site was largely independent of glass-making traditions documented farther afield, and that Igbo Olokun may represent one of the earliest known glass-production workshops in West Africa. The location is not divulged except on request and permission of the keepers of the shrine because it is a sacred grove. Oduduwa Shrine and Grove: The shrine of the progenitor of the Yoruba race. Worshippers and initiates flood the place seeking blessings and paying obeisance to the originator of their civilization. Agbonniregun Temple: The grove of Ọrunmila, an Orisha. He is the Orisha of wisdom, knowledge, and divination. This source of knowledge is believed to have a keen understanding of the human form and of purity, and is therefore praised as often being more effective than other remedies.


Archaeology

Burnt pipes (or tuyere), stone tools, broken
calabash Calabash (; ''Lagenaria siceraria''), also known as bottle gourd, white-flowered gourd, long melon, birdhouse gourd, New Guinea bean, New Guinea butter bean, Tasmania bean, and opo squash, is a vine grown for its fruit. It can be either harvest ...
, decorated potsherds, and
pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...
(e.g., rimsherd, plane-sherd body, broken, and washed pottery) were excavated at Iyekere. Iron smelting, charcoal utilized in the process of
smelting Smelting is a process of applying heat and a chemical reducing agent to an ore to extract a desired base metal product. It is a form of extractive metallurgy that is used to obtain many metals such as iron-making, iron, copper extraction, copper ...
, and iron
slag The general term slag may be a by-product or co-product of smelting (pyrometallurgical) ores and recycled metals depending on the type of material being produced. Slag is mainly a mixture of metal oxides and silicon dioxide. Broadly, it can be c ...
s involved in pitting were also discovered.
Iron smelting Smelting is a process of applying heat and a chemical reducing agent to an ore to extract a desired base metal product. It is a form of extractive metallurgy that is used to obtain many metals such as iron, copper, silver, tin, lead and zinc ...
occurred in the Ife region. The yield and efficiency were quite high as the iron smelting process yielded ore grade near 80 percent
iron oxide An iron oxide is a chemical compound composed of iron and oxygen. Several iron oxides are recognized. Often they are non-stoichiometric. Ferric oxyhydroxides are a related class of compounds, perhaps the best known of which is rust. Iron ...
, lean slag possessed less than 60 percent iron oxide, and no greater than the required amount of iron oxide in the slag was left for slag formation. While more excavation is needed to produce a more accurate estimate for the age of the smelting site, it can be approximated to likely being precolonial, during the Late
Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
. Igbo Olokun, also known as Olokun Grove, may be one of the earliest
workshops Beginning with the Industrial Revolution era, a workshop may be a room, rooms or building which provides both the area and tools (or machinery) that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods. Workshops were the only ...
for producing glass in
West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...
.
Glass production Glass production involves two main methods – the float glass process that produces sheet glass, and glassblowing that produces bottles and other containers. It has been done in a variety of ways during the history of glass. Glass container ...
may have begun during, if not before, the 11th century. The 11th - 15th century were the peak of glass production. High lime, high alumina (HLHA) and low lime, high alumina (LLHA) glass are distinct compositions that were developed using locally sourced recipes,
raw materials A raw material, also known as a feedstock, unprocessed material, or primary commodity, is a basic material that is used to produce goods, finished goods, energy, or intermediate materials/Intermediate goods that are feedstock for future finished ...
, and pyrotechnology. The presence of HLHA glass beads discovered throughout West Africa (e.g.,
Igbo-Ukwu Igbo-Ukwu ( English: ''Great Igbo'') is a town in the Nigerian state of Anambra in the south-central part of the country. The town comprises three quarters namely Obiuno, Ngo, and Ihite (an agglomeration of 4 quarters) with several villages wi ...
in southern
Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
,
Gao Gao (or Gawgaw/Kawkaw) is a city in Mali and the capital of the Gao Region. The city is located on the River Niger, east-southeast of Timbuktu on the left bank at the junction with the Tilemsi valley. For much of its history Gao was an imp ...
and Essouk in
Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...
, and Kissi in
Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...
), after the ninth century CE, reveals the broader importance of this glass
industry Industry may refer to: Economics * Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity * Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery * The wider industrial sector ...
in the region and shows its participation in regional
trade Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. Traders generally negotiate through a medium of cr ...
networks (e.g., trans-Saharan trade, trans-Atlantic trade). Glass beads served as “the
currency A currency is a standardization of money in any form, in use or circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins. A more general definition is that a currency is a ''system of money'' in common use within a specific envi ...
for negotiating political power, economic relations, and cultural/spiritual values” for “Yoruba, West Africans, and the
African diaspora The African diaspora is the worldwide collection of communities descended from List of ethnic groups of Africa, people from Africa. The term most commonly refers to the descendants of the native West Africa, West and Central Africans who were ...
.” In Osun Grove, the distinct glassmaking technology produced by the Yoruba persisted into the seventeenth century.


Government

The main city of Ife is divided into two local government areas: Ife East, headquartered at Oke-ogbo and Ife central at Ajebandele area of the city. Both local governments are composed of a total of 21 political wards. The city has an estimated population of 355,813 people.


Geography

Latitudes 7°28′N and 7°45′N and longitudes 4°30′E and 4°34′E. Ile-Ife is a rural area with settlements where agriculture is occupied by most. Ife has an undulating terrain underlain by metamorphic rocks and characterized by two types of soils, deep clay soils on the upper slopes and sandy soils on the lower parts. Within the
tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry "winter") and ''As'' (for a dry "summer"). The driest month has less than ...
zone of West Africa. It has average rainfall of usually from March to October and a mean relative humidity of 75% to 100%. Ife is east of the city of
Ibadan Ibadan (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the List of Nigerian cities by population, third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano (city), Kano, with a total populatio ...
and connected to it through the Ife-Ibadan highway; Ife is also from Osogbo and has road networks to other cities such as Ede, Ondo and Ilesha. There is the Opa river and reservoir, that serves as a water treatment facility for OAU college.


Climate

In Ifé, the
dry season The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The t ...
is muggy and partially cloudy, and the
temperature Temperature is a physical quantity that quantitatively expresses the attribute of hotness or coldness. Temperature is measurement, measured with a thermometer. It reflects the average kinetic energy of the vibrating and colliding atoms making ...
is high all year round. The wet season is oppressive and
overcast Overcast or overcast weather, as defined by the World Meteorological Organization, is the meteorological condition of clouds obscuring at least 95% of the sky. However, the total cloud cover must not be entirely due to obscuring phenomena near ...
. The average annual temperature ranges from 66 to 93 degrees
Fahrenheit The Fahrenheit scale () is a scale of temperature, temperature scale based on one proposed in 1724 by the German-Polish physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736). It uses the degree Fahrenheit (symbol: °F) as the unit. Several accou ...
, rarely falling below 60 or rising over 98.


Temperature

From January 22 to April 4, the hot season, with an average daily high
temperature Temperature is a physical quantity that quantitatively expresses the attribute of hotness or coldness. Temperature is measurement, measured with a thermometer. It reflects the average kinetic energy of the vibrating and colliding atoms making ...
exceeding 91 °F, lasts for 2.4 months. In Ifé, March is the hottest month of the year, with an average high of 92 °F and low of 73 °F. From June 14 to October 6, the cool season, which has an average daily high temperature below 84 °F, lasts for 3.8 months. August is the coldest month of the year in Ifé, with an average
low temperature In physics, cryogenics is the production and behaviour of materials at very low temperatures. The 13th International Institute of Refrigeration's (IIR) International Congress of Refrigeration (held in Washington, DC in 1971) endorsed a universa ...
of 71 °F and high temperature of 82 °F.


Cloud cover

The average proportion of sky covered by clouds at Ife varies significantly seasonally throughout the year. Ile-Ife experiences 2.9 months of clearer weather, which starts about November 17 and ends around February 13. December is the clearest month of the year, with a 50% average percentage of clear, mostly clear, or partly overcast skies. Around February 13 of each year, the cloudier period starts, lasts for 9.1 months, and ends around November 17. April is the month with the most cloud cover; on average, 86% of the town has overcast or mainly cloudy skies during this month.


Precipitation

A day is considered to be wet if there has been at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent
precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, rain and snow mixed ("sleet" in Commonwe ...
. In Ifé, the likelihood of rainy days varies a great deal from season to season. The 6.6-month wetter season, which runs from April 7 to October 27, has a more than 45% chance of precipitation on any one day. In Ifé, September has an average of 25.4 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation, making it the month with the most rainy days. From late October to early April, a period of about 5.4 months, is the dry season. December has an average of 1.4 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation, making it the month with the fewest wet days in Ifé. With an average of 25.4 days, September is the month in Ifé with the most rainy days. According to this classification, rain alone has the highest probability of all types of precipitation, peaking at 86% on September 22.


Economy

Ife contains attractions like the Natural History Museum of Nigeria. Ife is home to a regional agricultural center with an area that produces vegetables, grain, cocoa, tobacco, and cotton. Ife has a few open markets, such as Oja Titun or Odo-gbe market with about 1,500 shops. In terms of development, the Ife central area of Ilé Ifè is more developed. The areas include Parakin, Eleyele, Modomo, Damico, and Crown Estate Area. These areas are characterized by modern houses, good road network, constant electricity and security.


Education

Ife has several universities that are well-known both in Nigeria and internationally; such as the Obafemi Awolowo University (formerly University of Ife), and Oduduwa University. It is also home to the Seventh Day Adventist Grammar School, Ile-Ife, Oduduwa College and Moremi High School, which are notable schools established over 30 years ago.


Notable people

* Adesoji Aderemi; (Atobatele I) (1889-1980), 49th Ọọ̀ni of Ifẹ̀ * Dele Momodu (born 1960), journalist * Tunde Odunlade (born 1954), artist and musician * Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi; (Ọjájá II) (born 1974), 51st Ọọ̀ni of Ifẹ̀ * Femi Fani-Kayode (born 1960), Nigerian politician, essayist, poet and lawyer * Iyiola Omisore (born 1957), Nigerian businessman, engineer and politician * Chief
Remi The Remi (Gaulish: ''Rēmi'', 'the first, the princes') were a Belgic tribe dwelling in the Aisne, Vesle and Suippe river valleys during the Iron Age and the Roman period. Their territory roughly corresponded the modern Marne and Ardennes a ...
Adetokunboh Fani-Kayode, Q.C., SAN, CON *Alayeluwa Oba Okunade Sijuwade
Olubuse II Alayeluwa Oba Okunade Sijuwade Order of the Federal Republic, CFR (1 January 1930 – 28 July 2015) was the fiftieth Nigerian traditional rulers, traditional ruler or List of rulers of Ife, ''Ooni'' of Ife from 1980 to his death in 2015, taking ...
(1930–2015), 50th Ọọ̀ni of Ifẹ̀


See also

* Ife Empire *
History of the Yoruba people The documented history begins when Oranyan came to rule the Oyo Empire, which became dominant in the early 17th century. The older traditions of the formerly dominant Ile-Ife kingdom are largely oral. The name " ''Yoruba''" is said to be g ...
* Legends of Africa * List of rulers of Ife


Notes


References

* Akinjogbin, I. A. (Hg.): ''The Cradle of a Race: Ife from the Beginning to 1980'', Lagos 1992. The book also has chapters on the present religious situation in the town. * Bascom, William: ''The Yoruba of south-western Nigeria'', New York 1969. The book mainly deals with Ife. * Bascom, William "The Olojo festival at Ife, 1937", in: A. Falassi (ed.), ''Time out of Time: Essays on the Festival'', Albuquerque, 1987, 62–73. * Blier, Suzanne Preston. Art and Risk in Ancient Yoruba: Ife History, Power, and Identity c.1300, Cambridge University Press 2015. . * Blier, Suzanne Preston. http://scholar.harvard.edu/files/blier/files/blier.pdf "Art in Ancient Ife Birthplace of the Yoruba"]. African Arts 2012 * Frobenius, Leo, ''The Voice of Africa'', London 1913 (Frobenius stayed for nearly two months in Ife, in 1910–11). * Johnson, Samuel
''History of the Yorubas''
London 1921. * Lange, Dierk: "The dying and the rising God in the New Year Festival of Ife", in: Lange, ''Ancient Kingdoms of West Africa'', Dettelbach 2004, pp. 343–376. * Lange, Dierk
"Preservation of Canaanite creation culture in Ife"
in: H.-P. Hahn and G. Spittler (eds.), ''Between Resistance and Expansion'', Münster 2004, 125–158. * Lange, Dierk
"Origin of the Yoruba and 'Lost Tribes of Israel'"
''Anthropos'', 106, 2011, 579–595. * Olubunmi, A. O. ''The Rise and Fall of the Yoruba Race 10,000 BC–1960 AD'', The 199 Publishing Palace * Olubunmi, A. O. ''On Ijesa Racial Purity'', The 199 Publishing Palace * Ogunyemi, Yemi D. (Yemi D. Prince), ''The Oral Traditions in Ile-Ife'', , Academica Press, 2009, Palo Alto, USA. * Ogunyemi, Yemi D. (Yemi D. Prince): ''The Aura of Yoruba Philosophy, Religion and Literature'', , Diaspora Press of America, 2003, Boston, USA. * Ogunyemi, Yemi D. (Yemi D. Prince): ''Introduction to Yoruba Philosophy, Religion and Literature'', , Athelia Henrietta Press, 1998, New York, USA. * Ogunyemi, Yemi D. (Yemi D. Prince): ''The Covenant of the Earth–Yoruba Religious & Philosophical Narratives'', , Athelia Henrietta Press, 1998, New York, USA. * Olupona, Jacob K.: ''City of 201 Gods: Ile-Ife in Time, Space and Imagination'', Berkeley 2011. * Stride, G. T. and C. Ifeka: "Peoples and Empires of West Africa: West Africa in History 1000–1800", New York 1971. * Walsh, M. J., "The Edi festival at Ile Ife", ''African Affairs'', 47 (1948), 231–8. * Willett, Frank: ''Ife in the History of West African Sculpture'', London, 1967. The book also deals with some oral traditions of Ile-Ife. * Wyndham, John
"The creation"
''Man'', 19 (1919), 107–8.


External links


Ife – World History Encyclopedia

Homepage of the Ooni of Ife

The Story of Africa: Ife and Benin BBC page on Ife

Yoruba Myths Por Ulli Beie
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ife Archaeological sites in Nigeria Cities in Nigeria Cities in Yorubaland Holy cities Populated places in Osun State Sacred sites in traditional African religions History of the Yoruba people Yoruba religion Archaeological sites of Western Africa Articles containing video clips