🇳🇬 Nigeria · Ancient city
Ile-Ife
Yoruba Early/Middle Period (1st mill.–16th c; classical 12th–15th c) · Yoruba (Ifè)
Yoruba city producing hyper-naturalistic brass heads and potsherd pavements with unique locally-made High-Lime glass beads.
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Archaeological wonder
Nok Culture Sites (Taruga & Jemaa)
Late Neolithic to Early Iron Age (1500 BCE–500 CE; comparable to Carthage early) · Nok Culture (unknown language; possibly proto-Benue-Congo)
500 BCE terracotta heads with triangular eyes and elaborate coiffures plus earliest West African iron furnaces (13 at Taruga 700–400 BCE).
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Tumulus
Igbo-Ukwu Workshop Mound South Annex — Southern Extension
Early Medieval (800-1000 CE) · Igbo-Ukwu
Igbo-Ukwu Workshop Mound South Annex — Southern Extension in Anambra, Igbo-Ukwu, Nigeria is a Early Medieval (800-1000 CE) tumulus attributed to Igbo-Ukwu.
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Tumulus
Igbo-Ukwu Workshop Mound South Annex — Western Terrace
Early Medieval (800-1000 CE) · Igbo-Ukwu
Igbo-Ukwu Workshop Mound South Annex — Western Terrace in Anambra, Igbo-Ukwu, Nigeria is a Early Medieval (800-1000 CE) tumulus attributed to Igbo-Ukwu.
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Earthwork
Benin City Walls (Iya)
Early to Late Edo Kingdom (800–1897 CE; peak 13th–16th c) · Edo (Bini) / Igodomigodo → Kingdom of Benin
16,000 km of ramparts and 20 m high ditch-bank earthworks enclosing 6,500 km² – world's longest pre-mechanical earthwork.
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Archaeological wonder
Samun Dukiya (Nok satellite)
Nigerian Iron Age (1500 BCE–500 CE) · Nok
Waterlogged pit yielding 25 in-situ Nok heads 900 BCE–500 CE and early 550 BCE iron knives.
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Ancient city
Zilum (Chad Basin Proto-city)
Iron Age Sahel / Nok contemporary (550–350 BCE) · Gajiganna culture
12-ha 550 BCE Gajiganna proto-city with 5-m ditch and early Sahelian iron furnace.
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Earthwork
Ancient Kano City Walls
Hausa Kingdom of Kano to Sokoto (1095–1807 CE; peak 14th–18th c.) · Hausa (Kano)
Ancient Kano City Walls (Badala) are West Africa's most impressive earthwork: 14 km main wall, 10 m high with 40 m base and moat, plus outer and inner walls totalling 40 km, founded 1095 CE by…
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Ancient city
Surame
Late Medieval Hausa Banza Bakwai (15th–early 18th c. CE) · Hausa (Kabawa–Kebbi)
Surame (15th–16th c.) is the 9 km² walled capital of Muhammadu Kanta's Kebbi Empire (c. 1516), the sole Hausa Banza Bakwai state to defeat Songhai (Battle of Jebbe).
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Ancient city
Idanre Hills — Oke Idanre Cultural Landscape
Late Ife to Yoruba Oyo-Benin (1100–1928) · Yoruba Idanre (Udane)
Idanre Hills (Oke Idanre) is the hilltop abandoned Yoruba city 680 m above sea on Inselberg 3 km N of Idanre town, occupied 11th–1928 c.
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Ancient city
Old Oyo (Oyo-Ile)
Yoruba Oyo Empire (14th–1835 CE; capital 16th–1835) · Yoruba (Oyo)
Old Oyo (Oyo-Ile, Katunga) is the 16th–19th c. capital of Oyo Empire, 10 km triple earthen walls enclosing 6,000 ha savanna plain with 17 palace compounds (Kobi), council houses and reservoirs.
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Ancient city
Zaria City Walls
Early Kano to Sokoto (14th–19th c. CE; peak 16th–18th c.) · Hausa (Zazzau) / Fulani
Zaria City Walls (Birnin Zaria) are Hausa Kingdom of Zazzau's 14th-c. mud walls 14 km circuit encircling Zau Zau hill and Emir's palace, founded by Queen Amina legend but archaeologically Sarkin…
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Ancient village
Daima (Lake Chad Mound)
Neolithic to Late Iron (1800 BCE–1500 CE) · Hadjer Lamis / Kotoko ancestral
3-m 115×85 m stratified mound establishing Chad Basin Neolithic-to-Iron sequence 1800 BCE–1500 CE.
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Archaeological wonder
Dala Hill
Iron Age to Modern (c. 400–1900 CE; ritual ongoing) · Iron Age (Early Kano) / Hausa / Fulani
Dala Hill (Goron Dutse pair) is Kano's 534-m granite inselberg nucleus where Kano city was founded by Dala Iron Age smiths (c. 400 CE) before Hausa walling, with 999-step stair.
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Ancient city
Birnin Gazargamu
Late Medieval Kanem–Bornu (1460–1808 CE) · Kanuri (Kanem–Bornu)
Birnin Gazargamu (1460–1808) was Kanem–Bornu Empire capital, 6.5 km earthen walls 5 m high enclosing palace mound, great mosque 100×50 m and 200 compound mounds on Yo/ Kamadugu Yobe. 15th-c.
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Rock art
Kainji Rock Art and Mounds
MSA to Iron Age (50,000 BCE–1800 CE; rock art 2000 BCE–500 CE) · MSA / Kintampo-related / Iron Age (Borgawa)
Kainji shoreline and islands host Middle Stone Age to Iron Age rock shelters with geometric rock art and 2,000-year mound settlements along Niger River, inundated partially 1968 by Kainji Dam.
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Ancient village
Kajuru Hill Settlement
Iron Age to Late Medieval (500 BCE–1800 CE) · Nok–Koro–Atyap continuum
Kajuru Hills are dramatic inselberg hillforts above southern Kaduna plain, occupied Nok-terminal to Koro–Atyap phases 500 BCE–1800 CE, with dry-stone terracing and hilltop granaries akin to Sukur's…
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Megalith
Ikom Monoliths — Alok Akwanshi Stone Field
Iron Age to Early Modern (200–1800 CE) · Ekoi / Ejagham (Legbok)
Ikom Monoliths are >300 basalt volcanic monoliths 1–1.8 m tall arranged in 30 circles (each 6 m Ø with 12 phallic pillars) around Ikom and Alok, dated 1st–18th c CE, uniquely carved with facial…
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Ancient village
Daura Kusugu Pondfield (Bayajida Well)
Medieval Hausa (Bakwai period, 9th–15th c. CE) · Hausa (Daura, Hausa Bakwai)
Sacred pondfield where Bayajida slew snake Sarki (Daura origin).
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Temple complex
Dakhleh Oasis Roman Farm North
Early Bronze Age (3000–2000 BCE) · Local Neolithic
Dakhleh Oasis Roman Farm North in Nok Valley, Nigeria is a Early Bronze Age (3000–2000 BCE) temple complex attributed to Local Neolithic culture.
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Fortress
Katsina Hillfort of Dutsin Ma
Medieval Hausa to Sokoto period (13th–19th c. CE) · Hausa (Katsina)
Granite inselberg hillfort south of Katsina with rock gongs.
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Tell
Gazargamu Nguru Palaeolake Mound
Late Kanem-Bornu (15th–18th c. CE) · Kanuri (Bornu)
Lake-fishery satellite tell west of Bornu capital on Nguru fen fen.
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Earthwork
Sine-Saloum Shell Midden South
Late Neolithic (4000–3000 BCE) · Local Neolithic
Sine-Saloum Shell Midden South in Nok Valley, Nigeria is a Late Neolithic (4000–3000 BCE) earthwork attributed to Local Neolithic culture.
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Rock art
Rhapta Submerged Harbour — Nok Valley (Jos)
Classical Antiquity (800 BCE–500 CE) · Local Neolithic
Rhapta Submerged Harbour in Nok Valley, Nigeria is a Classical Antiquity (800 BCE–500 CE) rock art attributed to Local Neolithic culture.