Benin City

Brief information about the Benin City

Benin City Benin City is the capital and largest city of Edo State in southern Nigeria. It is situated approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of the Benin River and 320 kilometres (200 mi) by road east of Lagos. Benin City is the centre of Nigeria's rubber industry, and oil production is also a significant industry.

Benin City was the principal city of the Edo kingdom of Benin, which flourished during the 13th to the 19th century. It was destroyed in 1897 by the British after the Edo assaulted an earlier British expedition, which had been told not to enter the city during a religious festival but nonetheless attempted to do so.

Before burning the city down, the British pillaged it, taking many of its famous bronzes, ivory, and other treasures.Although traces of the old wall and moat remain, the new city is a close-packed pattern of houses and streets converging on the palace and compound of the oba (sacred king) and the government offices.

In the main square sits a statue of Emotan, a woman honoured 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. The indigenous people of Benin City are Edo, and they speak the Edo language and other Edoid languages.

The people of Benin City are known as Edo or Bini. The people of the city have one of the richest dress cultures on the African continent and are known for their beads, body marks, bangles, anklets, and raffia work.