Sungbo Eredo, Ogun.

History of Sungbo Eredo

Sungbo Eredo was built in the 10th century as a monument to Sungbo and as a spiritual fortification round an ancient Kingdom. It is notable as the largest known ancient man-made structure in sub-Saharan Africa.

Built by Bilikisu Sungbo (the locals claim she is the fabled biblical Queen Sheba and koranic Bilqis) in the 10th century.

Essentially, it is a moat with an earth wall alongside it. A 100-mile-long wall forming a rough circle enclosing roughly 400 square miles, whose construction began a millennium ago, this is one of the largest monuments in sub-Saharan Africa

Security/Safety of Sungbo Eredo

This is a very safe location.

• ensure you go along with a local guide
• and be prepared for insects and other animals as it is a rainforest

What To Bring

Before heading to Sungbo Eredo, here are some helpful things to take along with you:

• Hiking boots
• A map
• Camera

Things to do while at Sungbo Eredo

• Visit the locals and learn their history from them
• Take a hike in the rain-forest and view the monument

Best Features

This outstanding monument is a rampart or system of walls and ditches. Its vertical sided ditches of hardened laterite (natural soil mixture of clay and iron-oxides) show how the ditch profiles were originally dug.

Together with the bank of spoil heaped up on the inner side, the combined height can be as much as 20 metres. Trees above this gigantic ditch help protect its sides from the forces of nature. The grave of Bilikisu is located in Oke-Eiri inside Sungbo's Eredo. It is an important site of pilgrimage among the locals.

Most common visitors

It is frequented by archaeologists, adventurers, traditional worshipers and adventurers.

• Eredo Journal; A Wall, a Moat, Behold! A Lost Yoruba Kingdom - New York Times, Sept 20, 1999
• What is exciting about this for me is that we are beginning to bring out the tremendous political and cultural achievements of black Africa - Dr Patrick Darling of Bournemouth University