My Travel Adventure To Olumo Rock

Dante is here, No Fear

Hey guys, you made it to my adventure blog post today. Guess what?

What? lol.

I am as thrilled and excited as you are. So on my previous adventure post on Ancient Street Photography was taken around the location of this great adventure.

Okay not to hype this adventure too much, this is nothing like Peter Pan, Tin Tin or Indiana Jones. This is just Dante visiting the ancient heritage of the Egba people of the Yoruba Kingdom in Nigeria.

Come along with me on this trip. Let's see what happening here.

A Brief Overview of the Egba People

The Egba people are known to be artistic, highly intellectual , farmers and freedom fighters. Before they made Abeokuta their home (city where Olumo Rock is located), the egba people were under the ruler ship of Alaafin of Oyo Empire.

The Oyo Empire was a Yoruba empire of what is today Western and North central Nigeria. Established in the 15th century, the Oyo Empire grew to become one of the largest West African states. It rose through the outstanding organizational and administrative skills of the Yoruba people, wealth gained from trade and its powerful cavalry. The Oyo Empire was the most politically important state in the region from the mid-17th to the late 18th century, holding sway not only over most of the other kingdoms in Yorubaland, but also over nearby African states, notably the Fon Kingdom of Dahomey in the modern Republic of Benin to the west.

Fast forward, the Oyo Empire declined as a result of political intrigue. The Egba people under the leadership of Lisabi organized an insurgent group which he used to free the Egba people from the Oyo Empire by killing tribute collectors (about 600 of them).

P.S. The people have had enough of the tyranny of the Oyo Empire

The empire got furious the sent an army to crush these rebellious Egba people. Remember I said the Egba people are highly intellectual. They have anticipated the attack from the mighty empire so the ensure the fight was at the Egba forest which was their vantage point were they defeated and drove off the punitive force of the Empire.

The people had gained their freedom. After gaining there freedom there organised group became erratic .

As a result, they became prone to attacks from slave hunters from Ibadan and Dahomey during the Yoruba wars which they could no longer contain.

A certain man called Chief Sodeke led the people under the instructions of the Ifa Oracle to a place called Olumo rock.

History can be lovely to listen to or read. How about we go visit this famous rock called Olumo,

Let's get the juice of what happened here.

This is the entrance to Olumo Rock. An historical heritage of the Egba people.

Look at the famous rock. Wow! we are here already.

Notice the Green vehicles with yellow stripes.

Those are city cabs parked outside the tourist center. Let's walk closer and take another picture of the description on the gates

^{The Entrance}

Clearly written at the entrance gate that this rock is located at Abeokuta North which I stated in my last blog around the area in Ancient Street Photography that the city is basically divided into two local government area i.e Abeokuta North and South. From the former the city grew and expanded to the south.

Moving on

Got my entrance ticket at the gate for 1000 naira which is about 2.5 USD.

^{Overview of Olumo rock with Structures}

Attached to the rock are elevators which aren't functioning. I believe the adventure is in the climb or perhaps the gods of the rock don't like the artificial technology. The lower structures are the cafeteria and the art gallery.

Come with me to the Art Gallery

^{Entrance Signage}

^{Old Photograph of Olumo Rockt}

^{Hand Made Ancient Craft}

^{Ready Made Adire(traditional cloth)}

^{Art Collections}

The art gallery was so much wonderful. My eyes got fed with plenty of beauties and awesomeness.

Let's fire the adventure by climbing this rock

Check out the flight of steps I have to climb to the top. Dang! I am tired already. Anyway there's a total of 168 steps before the final climb to the top of the rock. I can only imagine how the ancient people climbed the rock many years ago without the steps.

^{View below from the first flight of steps}

There are 4 stages to the rock climbing , here below I just reached stage 1. You can call it level up.

So what do we have here in level 1

^{A view of the surrounding settlement}

^{Me taking a quick break}

Moving on, here at Level 1 which is called the Panseke garden because of the Panseke tree. The tree is called panseke because of the buds that carries the seeds. When it gets dried and you shake it makes a seke seke sound. Yoruba language sounds like music. So some words so sound in rhymes like the Panseke trees which you can see in the image below. The Panseke garden is characterised by 3 trees which are the Panseke tree, The Dongoyaro tree(leam tree) and The Odan tree(Doggedness tree)

^{View Of The Panseke Garden}

Moving up the Panseke garden to level up. Which i did as I clocked in on Stage 2 of the climbing. This stage is characterized by

The Shrine
Tree of Doggedness
The Egba Hide out

Orisa Olumo Chambers; This is the sacred place for the god or deity of the rock. The ancient people believed that the rock protected them for the 3 years they stayed in the rock during the Yoruba Wars. As a result they worshiped the rock. After the war was over and the Egba people were asked the questions where were they that no one, hunters or scout could find them in all of the land years after that the location of the rock was disclosed. Also, people still believe in the rock that it answers prayers. I met a tour guide who happens to be a descendant of the first tour guide of Olumo rock(he claimed that, can't verify how authentic his claims are but I will take his word for it). Every year the 5 Kings of Egbaland will come to the rock to worship it and also prayer for the entire land and the country. They also make sacrifices to the rock and pray that no one of the tourist or anyone falls from the rock. In the history of the rock since its discovery there has been no accident or occurrence that anyone fell from the rock. The 5 Kings of the Egba Kingdom are as follows;

The Alake of Egbaland who is the paramount ruler. He is the only one that has access to enter the shrine. Every other person is forbidden to enter.
Osile of Oke-Ona Egba(you maybe wondering why is the Osile of Oke-Ona where the Olumo rock is located not the paramount ruler. There is a tale for that but not on this blog post.)
Gbagura of Agura
Olowu of Owu
Olubara of Ibara

The items used for sacrifice to the Orisa are a black cow, bitter kola, a guinea fowl, kola nut and a local gin. If you visit the rock and you visit the shrine, it is said that if you make a wish to the rock that it would be answered. That was what my tour guide said to me because I am a direct decedent of the Egba people. I didn't make a wish to the rock because of my faith. In my mind I had to call the name of my lord and savior before my subconscious makes the error of making a wish. Usually, you have to render words out to the god which I did not haha. I know my heart desires but it is not the rock that will grant that. Anyway, if you make a wish or a prayer to the god and your prayers get answered, what you have to do to thank the god is to sacrifice a guinea fowl to it which you will use the blood as a gum to stick some feathers of the guinea fowl to the door of the shrine.

^{The Entrance if the Shrine with guinea fowl feathers}

^{Entrance route to Cave}

^{Doggedness tress that has its root inside of the rock}

^{Water that drips from this part of the rock after it rains is known to heal diseases}

^{Plank of written description about the medicinal water of the rock}

^{Resting Place of the first tour guide Sonni of Osi-Itoko}

^{Holes to grind pepper and other food stuff}

^{The Cave}

^{Room in the Cave}

At this part of the tour of the rock, we were able to see the tree growing out of a rock, the medicinal water which can cure diseases. To be honest it doesn't cure all diseases however the locals believe in the power of this water. The famous hide out cave of the Egba people were it is believed that meetings were held there for decisions and also the grinding place for food stuff. There were six rooms in total but only one is left due to improper maintenance and preservation. As you can see in the image of the destroyed rooms.

Now we move up to the third stage of the climb which is to follow the ancient way up to the top of the rock.

^{Ancient Sculptures to represent the leaders of the Egba People At the time of taking refugee at the rock}

The sculptures represent the leaders of the Egba people who were great warriors. From left to right the names of these great people are : *Lisabi Agbogbo Akala, Adagba(locator of the rock), Chief Sodeke(First Balogun Of Egbaland), madam Efunroye Tinubu, Sagbua Okekenu(First King in Egbaland). There are cowries attached to the sculptures, yes indeed for they were the currency used in that era.

Also the sculpture was positioned along the ancient passage way to the top of the rock. You can't miss it.

Quick peep at the Orisa Obaluaye chambers

This is the shrine of the Orisa Obaluaye which is till properly maintained and taken care of. This Orisa is also the god of mortality which this Orisa is often associated with disease that still reminds us of our mortality. Note that Orisa means god. This orisa is capable of inflicting sickness and heeling people of sickness

^{The Shrine}

Follow the Ancient Way to the top

^{The Ancient Way}

^{Watch Me Climb}

^{I held the rock with one hand; looks like I saw a new world}

^{I did it!}

I finally made it to the top of the rock the fourth stage. Amazing isn't it. At the top of the rock you can see the cast Egbaland as it spreads across the horizon. A strategic and vantage point for the Egba people. The rock is 137meters above sea level.

^{Overview from the top of the rock}
Fun Fact : Abeokuta is a mounteneous area filled with several rocks all over the plains. So many areas are on peak level despite the modern day built environment.

From the top of the rock you can easily see M.K.O Abiola's family house(an icon of the Egba people today who was a philanthropist) also you can see the Central Mosque and the first church in Nigeria St. Peter's Anglican church