3 Astounding Discoveries In Nigeria

This is summarized by the listing of some of Nigeria’s amazing and interesting destinations on the United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site. Three of the amazing discoveries includes:

1. The Walls of Benin (800-1400AD)

Situated in Benin, capital city of present day Edo State stood the walls of Benin (800 – 1400AD) which are the longest ancient earthworks in the world and apparently the largest man-made structure on earth. The walls are a set of earthworks comprising of banks and ditches called Iya in the native tongue. It comprises 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) of “Iya” (banks and ditches) city and an estimated 16,000 kilometres (9,900 miles) in the rural areas surrounding Benin. As at that time, with its enormous length, it was speculated to be double the length of the Great Wall of China, until it was declared in the year 2012 (after five years of thorough measurement by Chinese surveyors) that the Great wall has a length of around 21, 0000 km.

2. Nigeria is home to Africa’s largest single ancient monument

Sungbo’s Eredo, a 160 km rampart equipped with guard houses and moats, is reputed to be the largest single pre-colonial monument in Africa. It is located in present-day Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State and was built a millennium ago. The technological advancement of the building of this moat required more earth to be moved during construction than that used for building the Great Pyramid of Giza (one of the Seven Wonders of The Ancient World).The most astonishing thing is that Sungbo’s Eredo was the biggest city in the world (bigger than Rome and Cairo) during the Middle Ages when it was built. It was constructed as a shield during the war and was built around 800 AD and 1,000 AD. The forest where the wall is located is purported to be the final resting of the Queen of Sheba. It is located in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun state.

3. The discovery of the Dufuna Canoe, Africa’s oldest boat

Africa’s oldest known boat, the Dufuna canoe was discovered in Dufuna village, Yobe state, by a Fulani Herdsman in May 1987, while he dug a well. Various radio-carbon tests were conducted in laboratories of reputable universities in Europe and America and results revealed that the canoe is over 8,000 years old, thus making it the oldest in Africa and 3rd oldest in the world. The discovery of the canoe has completely changed accepted theories of the history and sophistication of marine technology in Africa.