Olumo Rock- pile of boulders, home of caves, residence of ancient shrines
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Naijatreks_Olumo1
Many rocks I’ve climbed,
many hills I’ve conquered,
ancient dwellings I have seen,
many caves I’ve entered,
but none like the magnificent rocks of Olumo…
A bastion of massive granite,
soaring high and proud into the ice-blue skies,
smiling and glimmering upon the Ogun River
and the ancient town of Abeokuta, south-western Nigeria.
The climb up the massive boulder piles of Olumo tickled my heart like the taste of sweet mango. The pathway up the rocks begins with a flight of steps up the hill slopes, landing on a fairly leveled extension of the rock. Here, a closed wooden door frames the centre of a mud-walled enclosure in a lateral cleft in the rock. A cluster of chicken feathers had gotten stuck on the door; and beneath the door rests a small sign board with ‘Olumo main shrine.’ From here the tour guide began to narrate the history of Olumo rock, explaining how the people of Egba land hid in the caves in Olumo rock during the times of war in ancient times, and how the rock provided a vantage point to monitor the enemy’s advance which gave them a winning edge during the wars. The Egba people had built mud walls and pillars across the entrance of the dingy caves to form perfect dwelling places. They also built inner rooms with well defined entrance and windows within the caves. A part of the cave floors had well defined circular depressions; the guide explained that the people used the circular depressions as mortars for pounding yam during the days of war. Another path which leads to the upper sections of the rocks was tight and narrow, enclosed by steep and slippery rock-faces and its floor riddled with large boulders. A flight of metal stairs leads through the passages and up the rocks.
I stood upon the heights of Olumo and marveled at the gracious sight that laid before me. Like an endless blanket of rust brown roofs, capping buildings made of thick mud walls and finished with painted cement plasters, the panoramic view of the ancient town of Abeokuta sprawled beneath me. From the top of the hill, the tour guide pointed to a school located in Oke-Gunya area of the town- the Old Baptist High School where a suite of notable Nigerians graduated from; they include Chief M.K.O Abiola, President Olusegun Obasanjo, Dimeji Bankole etc. As a result of this, the school had become highly respected and honored by the people of Abeokuta and beyond. The guide also pointed to the popular Ogun River, flowing gracefully across the landscape; then the Old Central Mosque sitting ostentatiously at the centre of the town, as well as some three green-colored multi-story building within the town which he called the birthplace of M.K.O Abiola. Then he turned to the rear side of the rock and the pointed a church building clad in white and bedecked with a soaring four-cornered tower at its front- this, he called The Old Baptist Cathedral, which is the oldest church in Abeokuta. We descended the hilltop through the stairwell within the elevator tower and accessed the another cave dwelling at the rear part of the hill through Obaluaye Garden. The garden which stretches to the rear part of the hills houses the Obaluaye Shrine as well as the cave dwellings where the Priestesses of the shrines live. We paid homage to the priestesses, received their blessings and took our leave.
The Yorubas often say that ‘people who are aware of where they are coming from, will likely never loose sight of where they are going to’. This saying underscores the great importance of our historical and archeological sites and objects. Olumo Rock stands as one of the numerous sites of important historical significance Nigeria is blessed with- sites which constantly remind us of the battles our ancestors fought and endured in order that future generations of our people might have lasting peace and live in unity.
Olumo Rock is located in Abeokuta, the state capital of Ogun State, south-west Nigeria.
