Igun-Eronmwon Quarters
Ways Of Travel
By car and motorbike
Reason To Recommend Place
This artistic site has been listed as a Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO and this is proudly engraved on the arched open gateway of the street with the words "Home of the Guild of Benin Bronze Casters: World Heritage Site". Feel free to admire, witness bronze casting from the various stages and purchase any piece of your choice.
What To Bring
["Camera to capture the sights and take selfies with","Cash as local markets hardly accept electronic payment mediums","Shopping list"]
Reason For Loving Place
The exact origin of bronze casting in Benin kingdom is hard to establish but it is known that the art has been in practice from primordial reign of the Ogisos, the first royal dynasty without any break though with discernible chronological stages of development. This ancient craft has been passed from generation to generation continually to this day. A secretive guild, the bronze casting members are related by a common ancestry and descended of the Ine Nigun; the custodian of the street and the bronze casters. Historically, the Oba of Benin controlled the guild and no one had any right to own any of the production process in those days except with his permission. However, after the British invasion of Benin Kingdom, members of the guild spread out to neighboring places and there set up shop and continued practicing their arts. With order restored in the Kingdom, some came back and have remained here, casting and making their marvelous art.
Safety Tips
["Be cautious of your possessions as pick-pockets look for easy targets","and do not wander the streets at night without a trusted local guide"]
