Owo Museum

Owo lay between the Yoruba world and Benin, and its art shows it: excavations at Igbo Laja in the 1970s produced terracotta heads and figures of the fifteenth century combining the naturalism of Ife with motifs and forms found at Benin, which made the site important to understanding how the two traditions related. The museum of Owo holds terracottas, court regalia, ivory and brass, along with material on the Olowo, the king, whose palace in the town is one of the largest traditional palace compounds in the region. The Igogo festival, in which the Olowo appears in a woman's coiffure and dress in honour of a queen, is held annually in September.

The main sights

• Igbo Laja terracottas - the fifteenth-century heads and figures.
• Court regalia - the ivory, brass and ceremonial material.
• The Olowo's palace - the large traditional compound in the town.
• The Ife and Benin link - the stylistic bridge the collection shows.

When to go

November to March in the dry season. The Igogo festival falls in September and is the town's major occasion. Weekday mornings are best for the museum, whose hours can be irregular.

Good to know

The museum is small with dated displays and irregular hours. Palace access is restricted. Some of the important Owo material is held in Lagos rather than locally. Owo is a stop on a longer route rather than a destination.

Nearby

Akure lies west; Benin City is southeast.

Key facts