Omi-Osun ruins
Encyclopedia
The Omi-Ọsun ruins
are the remains of an ancient settlement of the Oke-Ila
Orangun kingdom, located along the Omi-Ọsun
river in southwestern Nigeria
. The ruins consist of remnants of ancient walls, potsherds, and other relics. Much of the site complex is currently overgrown with thicket, but large portions are being used as farmland. Efforts have been made since the late 1970s to persuade the paramount ruler and the local population to protect the remaining ruins from destruction by farming activity, building, and road construction. These efforts received an authoritatitive boost when the main advocate of the conservation
of the ruins
, a geologist/geophysicist with archaeological interests, was installed into the royal dynastic title of Oba'lumo, which provided him increased access to the royal councils of the Orangun
, the paramount king.
Omi-Ọṣun was a refuge used by the people of Oke-Ila during various wars and raids that necessitated the evacuation
of the city of Oke-Ila. Omi-Ọsun was finally abandoned by the Oke-Ila
Orangun kingdom about after the Peace Treaties at the end of the Yoruba wars of the 19th Century permitted the return to a safe Oke-Ila city.
The Omi-Ọsun ruins are currently of interest to archeologists reconstructing the history of the region's ancient settlements and the development of the Igbomina
of north central Yoruba
.
Ruins
Ruins are the remains of human-made architecture: structures that were once complete, as time went by, have fallen into a state of partial or complete disrepair, due to lack of maintenance or deliberate acts of destruction...
are the remains of an ancient settlement of the Oke-Ila
Òkè-Ìlá
Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún is an ancient city in southwestern Nigeria that was capital of an ancient Igbomina-Yoruba city-state of the same name....
Orangun kingdom, located along the Omi-Ọsun
Omi Osun
Omi-Ọṣun, literally meaning "Ọṣun's waters", is the northernmost source tributary of the Ọṣun River in southwestern Nigeria...
river in southwestern Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. The ruins consist of remnants of ancient walls, potsherds, and other relics. Much of the site complex is currently overgrown with thicket, but large portions are being used as farmland. Efforts have been made since the late 1970s to persuade the paramount ruler and the local population to protect the remaining ruins from destruction by farming activity, building, and road construction. These efforts received an authoritatitive boost when the main advocate of the conservation
Architectural conservation
Architectural conservation describes the process through which the material, historical, and design integrity of mankind's built heritage are prolonged through carefully planned interventions. The individual engaged in this pursuit is known as an architectural conservator...
of the ruins
Ruins
Ruins are the remains of human-made architecture: structures that were once complete, as time went by, have fallen into a state of partial or complete disrepair, due to lack of maintenance or deliberate acts of destruction...
, a geologist/geophysicist with archaeological interests, was installed into the royal dynastic title of Oba'lumo, which provided him increased access to the royal councils of the Orangun
Orangun
Orangun or Ọ̀ràngún is the title of both paramount kings of the Yoruba kingdoms of Ila Orangun and Oke-Ila, Ila Orangun and their ancient kingdom of Ila-Yara of northeastern Yorubaland, presently in southwestern Nigeria.-History:...
, the paramount king.
Omi-Ọṣun was a refuge used by the people of Oke-Ila during various wars and raids that necessitated the evacuation
Emergency evacuation
Emergency evacuation is the immediate and rapid movement of people away from the threat or actual occurrence of a hazard. Examples range from the small scale evacuation of a building due to a bomb threat or fire to the large scale evacuation of a district because of a flood, bombardment or...
of the city of Oke-Ila. Omi-Ọsun was finally abandoned by the Oke-Ila
Òkè-Ìlá
Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún is an ancient city in southwestern Nigeria that was capital of an ancient Igbomina-Yoruba city-state of the same name....
Orangun kingdom about after the Peace Treaties at the end of the Yoruba wars of the 19th Century permitted the return to a safe Oke-Ila city.
The Omi-Ọsun ruins are currently of interest to archeologists reconstructing the history of the region's ancient settlements and the development of the Igbomina
Igbomina
The Ìgbómìnà are a tribe of the Yoruba people occupying the north-central portion of the Yoruba region of southwestern Nigeria....
of north central Yoruba
Yoruba people
The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...
.