Top 10 historical places in Nigeria

Top 10 historical places in Nigeria

Nigeria is a country with very rich historical legacies. It’s one of the biggest countries in Africa. History was not always in favour of our land. Today, you will find out top 10 historical places in Nigeria that you must to visit!

Top 10 historical places in Nigeria
Source: connectnigeria.ng

Top Nigerian historical sites

10. Oduduwa Grove

You will like to visit it's one of the most sacred temples in Nigeria. Oduduwa Temple or Grove is in Ile-Ife, Osun State. This place is famous for Oduduwa, who was the legendary ancestor and progenitor of the Yoruba nation. He was also a founder of Ile-Ife. This city which became his last resting place in the world. At this location, you can find a statue of Oduduwa with the chain.

Top 10 historical places in Nigeria
Source: afrotourism.com

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Thousands of people visit Oduduwa Grave every year. It includes not only Nigerians but also international tourists. It’s one of the best attractions of Ile-Ife.

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9. Emir of Kano's Palace

Top 10 historical places in Nigeria
Source: saharareporters.com

If you want to see some ancient structures with the traditional style of Africa. The Kano Emirate is a magical place situated in Kano State. It’s the legacy of Emir who controlled Northern Nigeria a long time ago. His headquarters were located in Kano city. Kano actually hosts ancient artifacts of old civilizations that were present before the period of the British Colonization. Emir’s Palace is one of the fractures of this ancient civilization.

8. Ogbunike Caves

Top 10 historical places in Nigeria
Source: static.pulse.ng

This magical place is situated in Ogbunike. It's one of the best sites of Anambra State. It’s the most famous collection of caves that you have never seen in the world. These caves have been used by local villagers for centuries as temples and sanctuaries. They provide spiritual and historical significance for all Nigerians. You would have to take more than 300 steps you will need to make to reach the cave.

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The primary cave of the complex consists of an entrance and a big sacred open chamber. It’s one of the Nigeria historical sites that attract a lot of international tourists around the world. The chamber of the main cave has ten tunnels. They all connected with each other in the form of the labyrinth. Ogbunke caves are presented as the part of UNESCO Heritage Site.

7. Tafawa Balewa Square

Top 10 historical places in Nigeria
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Tifawa Balewa Squire is one of the awesome locations to visit historical places of Nigeria. The whole place is situated in Lagos State. This magical construction was constructed in 1972. The picturesque entrance to the squire has four beautiful horses and seven red eagles. They define dignity and Strength.

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There are also other monuments in the square that you shouldn’t miss. For instance, the Remembrance Arcade, where you can see the memorials of World War I and II, Nigerian Civil War Victims and the 26-storey Independence House.

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The monument was built in 1963. It was one of the biggest and tallest constructions in the country. The capacity of the building is over 50,000 people, and it had a lot of different functions.

6. The Walls of Benin

Top 10 historical places in Nigeria
Source: solarey.net

You can see these walls located in the Benin City of Edo State. The main idea of these walls was the defence of the Kingdom of Benin. It’s still considered to be the largest human-made construction in the lengthwise. It’s hailed from the largest earthwork in the world.

The very beginning of this construction was in 800, and it was finished only in the middle of 15th century. It was provided to be the greatest construction in the country in the 13th century.

5. The Walls of Kano

Top 10 historical places in Nigeria
Source: imgur.com

It’s another ancient structure in the Ancient Kano City. The main reason for building such a wall was to create the perimeter of defence around the city. The very beginning of the construction was in 1095. Nevertheless, it was only completed in the 14th century. The radius of the monument is staggering 14km.

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Today, the monument has spiritual and cultural significance for Nigeria. It’s one of the biggest handmade structures in the old world.

4. The first story building in Nigeria

Top 10 historical places in Nigeria
Source: static.pulse.ng

It may not look like very gorgeous, but it provides a real historical value for Nigeria. It’s located in Badagry, Lagos. In 1842, the very first layers of the construction. The building was completed in 1845. The whole structure was created under the mission of the Church Missionary Society.

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The building does not provide much attention for tourists, but it helps to construct historical heritage for Nigerians.

3. National War Museum

Top 10 historical places in Nigeria
Source: zodml.org

This museum is located in Umuahua Abia State. It’s the resemblance of the grim episode of wars that happened in Nigeria. It’s part of the process for National healing and reconciliation. The museum is a collection of relics from different war periods of Nigeria. It includes Niger Delta conflicts, Nigerian Civil War and even the wars of old Nigeria Empires.

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2. Olumirin Waterfall

Top 10 historical places in Nigeria
Source: wikimedia.org

It’s one of the names of historical places that you should really know. Olumirin is translated as another deity. It’s located in Erin-Ijesha of Osun State. The waterfalls were discovered in 1140 AD. The person who discovered them was Akinla. She was a granddaughter of Oduduwa. These waterfalls attract over 50,000 tourists every year.

1. Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove

Top 10 historical places in Nigeria
Source: unesco.org

This historical place is located in Osogbo. It's one of the most famous places of Osun State. It’s a wonderful place located along the banks of the Osun River. This location in the country is filled with sculptures, shrines, sanctuaries and art works. The whole complex was created in the name of the goddess of fertility. For today, it’s one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Historical places in Nigeria have a lot of interesting facts that you might need to consider. These places are our history, and it’s our task that we save them for future generations!

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Check more historical sites from the video!

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Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Adrianna Simwa avatar

Adrianna Simwa (Lifestyle writer) Adrianna Simwa is a content writer at Legit.ng where she has worked since mid-2022. She has written for many periodicals on a variety of subjects, including news, celebrities, and lifestyle, for more than three years. She has worked for The Hoth, The Standard Group and Triple P Media. Adrianna graduated from Nairobi University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in 2020. In 2023, Simwa finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. You can reach her through her email: adriannasimwa@gmail.com