oba
Quick Summary
The term oba refers to a ruler of several African peoples in western Nigeria. Historically, the oba was the sacred king of the Benin kingdom, a powerful state in the West African forest region from the 13th to the 19th century. Tradition states that the first oba of Benin was Prince Oranmiyan's son, Eweka, in the 13th century.12
The oba held supreme political, judicial, economic, and spiritual authority. Under influential rulers like Ewuare the Great (c. 1440–80), the Benin kingdom expanded significantly, and its capital was rebuilt with impressive fortifications. The oba and their ancestors became objects of state cults, which sometimes involved human sacrifice.2
The Yoruba people, another major ethnic group in Nigeria, also traditionally have a hereditary king, or oba, who is considered sacred and serves as a ritual leader. While Yoruba kingships still exist, their political power is now limited.3
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Benin City…palace and compound of the oba (sacred king) and the government offices. In the main square is a statue of Emotan, a woman honored for assisting a 15th-century prince attempting to regain power and who later became Oba Ewuare. The present oba retains traditional and advisory roles in government.
Read More…palace and compound of the oba (sacred king) and the government offices. In the main square is a statue of Emotan, a woman honored for assisting a 15th-century prince attempting to regain power and who later became Oba Ewuare. The present oba retains traditional and advisory roles in government.
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African architecturePalaces and shrines…the great palace of the oba of Benin City, Nigeria. In the 16th and 17th centuries it was as large as a European town, with many courts surrounded by galleried buildings, their pillars encased in bronze plaques. Roofs were shingled, and there were numerous high towers topped with bronze birds.…
Read More…the great palace of the oba of Benin City, Nigeria. In the 16th and 17th centuries it was as large as a European town, with many courts surrounded by galleried buildings, their pillars encased in bronze plaques. Roofs were shingled, and there were numerous high towers topped with bronze birds.…
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Benin…is regarded as the first oba, or king, of Benin, though authority would remain for many years with a hereditary order of local chiefs. Late in the 13th century, royal power began to assert itself under the oba Ewedo and was firmly established under the most famous oba, Ewuare the…
Read More…is regarded as the first oba, or king, of Benin, though authority would remain for many years with a hereditary order of local chiefs. Late in the 13th century, royal power began to assert itself under the oba Ewedo and was firmly established under the most famous oba, Ewuare the…
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EdoA sacred king, the oba, was formerly the political, economic, and ritual head of state; succession to this office is determined by primogeniture.
Read MoreA sacred king, the oba, was formerly the political, economic, and ritual head of state; succession to this office is determined by primogeniture.
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Yoruba…by a hereditary king, or oba. Their towns became densely populated and eventually grew into the present-day cities of Oyo, Ile-Ife, Ilesha, Ibadan, Ilorin, Ijebu-Ode, Ikere-Ekiti, and others. Oyo developed in the 17th century into the largest of the Yoruba kingdoms (see Oyo
Read More…by a hereditary king, or oba. Their towns became densely populated and eventually grew into the present-day cities of Oyo, Ile-Ife, Ilesha, Ibadan, Ilorin, Ijebu-Ode, Ikere-Ekiti, and others. Oyo developed in the 17th century into the largest of the Yoruba kingdoms (see Oyo
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