Ife (Yoruba: Ifè, also Ilé-If?) is an ancient Yoruba
city in south-western Nigeria. Evidence of
settlement of the city has been discovered dating
back as far as 500 BC. It is located in present day
Osun State, with a population of 501,952. Today
a mid-sized city, Ife is home to the Obafemi
Awolowo University and Natural History Museum
of Nigeria. According to Yoruba legend, Ife is
where the founding deities Oduduwa and
Obatala began the creation of the world, as
directed by the paramount deity Olodumare.
Obàtálá created the first humans out of clay,
while Odùduwà became the first divine king of
the Yoruba. The Oòni (King) of Ife claims direct
descent from the god Oduduwa, and is counted
first among Yoruba kings. Until today many of
the surviving cult-groups of the city celebrate
the creation of the world during the Itapa
festival. Between 700 and 900 A.D., Ife began to
develop as a major artistic centre, and the city
was a settlement of substantial size between the
9th and 12th centuries, with houses featuring
potsherd pavement. Ilé-Ifè is known worldwide
for its ancient and naturalistic bronze, stone and
terracotta sculptures, which reached their peak
of artistic expression between 1200 and 1400
A.D. After this period, production declined as
political and economic power shifted to the
nearby kingdom of Benin which like the Yoruba
kingdom of Oyo, developed into a major empire.
- (DA.670)
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