Benin City

About Benin City

Few African cities carry as much history as Benin City, the capital of the ancient Kingdom of Benin and still the seat of its Oba. For centuries the kingdom's guilds produced the bronze plaques and heads now admired in museums worldwide, and the city was ringed by a vast system of earthen walls and moats. In 1897 a British expedition sacked the city and carried off thousands of artworks, a loss that is still debated today.

Modern Benin City is the busy capital of Edo State, a university town and a trading hub, but its heritage is close to the surface. Bronze casters still work in Igun Street using the lost-wax method, the Oba's palace remains the centre of court ceremonies, and the National Museum on the central square holds treasured pieces of Benin art. Royal festivals such as Igue, held toward the end of the year, bring colour to the streets.

The city is a long drive or short flight from Lagos and Abuja. Combine its heritage sites with a walk through Oba Market and a relaxed afternoon at Ogba Zoo.