Sungbo's Eredo

Sungbo's Eredo is a system of ditch and bank running for something over a hundred kilometres in a rough circle enclosing the territory of the old Ijebu kingdom in what is now Ogun State, with the ditch cut in places to a depth of around twenty metres and a bank thrown up on the inner side. Estimates place its construction around the tenth to twelfth centuries, which makes it one of the largest single pre-colonial earthworks in Africa by volume of material moved. Tradition attributes it to Bilikisu Sungbo, a wealthy woman sometimes identified in local accounts with the Queen of Sheba, whose grave is venerated at Oke-Eiri. Most of the earthwork is under forest and farmland and unmarked.

History

The earthwork points to a large polity in the area before the Atlantic trade began, and it was probably a way of uniting diverse communities into a single kingdom; it was built in honour of the Ijebu noblewoman Oloye Bilikisu Sungbo. In September 1999 the British archaeologist Patrick Darling surveyed it and drew worldwide attention to its size (Wikipedia, Sungbo's Eredo).

What you'll find

• The ditch and bank - the cut and rampart under forest cover.
• The scale of the cut - depths of up to around twenty metres in sections.
• Bilikisu Sungbo's grave - the venerated site at Oke-Eiri.
• Forest cover - the vegetation grown over most of the earthwork.

When to go

November to March in the dry season, when the undergrowth is lower and access easier. Mornings are cooler. A local guide is essential to find accessible sections.

Before you go

There is no signage, visitor centre or marked access; finding a good section requires a local guide. Most of the earthwork is overgrown and hard to read. Encroachment and quarrying have damaged parts. It is on Nigeria's tentative list but has no site management.

Nearby

Ijebu-Ode lies within the enclosed area; Epe is southeast.

Key facts