🇳🇬 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 · Archaeological wonder
Dufuna Canoe
Early Holocene (6550 BCE) · Early Holocene Saharan fisher–hunters (Lake Mega-Chad)
Dufuna Canoe is an 8.4-m dugout canoe excavated 1987 from 5 m deep Komadugu Gana floodplain, dated 6556/6384 cal BCE (8500±300 BP), oldest boat in Africa and third oldest worldwide, predating…
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Rock art
Dutsen Kongba (Jos Plateau)
Nok to Berom (1500 BCE–present) · Nok / Proto-Berom
Jos Plateau rock-gong complex with 8 granite gongs and Nok scatter.
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Ancient village
Gajiganna Culture Complex (Borno)
Chad Basin Late Stone Age · Gajiganna culture
Urn-field mound complex defining Gajiganna culture bridging Saharan and sub-Saharan pastoralism before Kanem.
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Fortress
Gobir Citadel of Gidan Sabon Birni
Sokoto period (19th c. CE; Gobir resistance) · Hausa (Gobir)
Late Gobir fortified birni (4.2 km) after 1808 fall of Al Kalawa.
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Ancient village
Gwoza Hills Settlements
Iron Age to present (500 BCE–present) · Mandara / Wandala / Kanuri
Mandara terrace villages with 10 km stone terraces and iron forges.
🇳🇬 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 · Archaeological wonder
Igbo-Ukwu
Late Iron Age forest (Igbo Early Period 800–1000 CE) · Igbo (proto-Igbo) Nri cultural nucleus
9th-c tripartite forest elite complex with 700+ lost-wax bronzes including roped pot and regalia requiring highest wax virtuosity.
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Megalith
Ikom Monoliths (Ejagham)
Late Iron Age to Modern (500–1800 CE) · Ejagham (Cross River)
Ikom Monoliths (Akwanshi, Ataal) are 300 basalt monoliths 0.3–1.8 m high carved 500–1800 CE by Ejagham peoples in Cross River forest, stylized janus faces, spiral navels and diadems around…
🇳🇬 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 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 · Rock art
Kagoro Rock Gongs
Iron Age to Kagoro Kingdom (500 BCE–present) · Nok / Kagoro (Southern Kaduna)
Quartzite gong field (6 slabs) with Kpop fort walls (2 km).
🇳🇬 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 · Ancient city
Katsina City and Kusugu Well
Hausa Late Iron Age to Sultanate (c.1100 CE–present) · Hausa (Katsinawa)
Hausa walled city (14 km walls, 7 gates) with Gobarau Minaret and Kusugu well legend.
🇳🇬 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 · Mound
Kursakata Mound (Borno) – Firki Stratigraphy
Iron Age to Historic Kanem · Chad Basin (Gajiganna → Kanem-Bornu)
7 m deep tell preserving 3000-year fishing-pastoralist sequence; fish bones, cord roulette ceramics and copper imports show trans-Saharan contact before Arab records.
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Ancient village
Kwiambana Hillfort (Zamfara) – Stone-Walled Escarpment Town
Late Iron Age / Historic Hausa · Hausa / Katsinawa refugees
Huge dry-stone perimeter walls (3 km) enclosing plateau hilltown on brink of Kayra escarpment, refuge for Katsina peoples during 18th–19th c Fulani jihads.
🇳🇬 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 village
Rim and Mai Hills
Kanem-Bornu to Kano (13th–18th c.) · Kanuri / Hausa
Paired frontier hills with 3 km refuge walls and indigo pits (50).
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Ancient village
Sukur Cultural Landscape
Late Medieval to Modern (16th–20th c. CE; iron 16th c.) · Marghi–Wandala (Chadic)
Sukur is a Mandara Mountains hilltop settlement at 1,045 m, UNESCO World Heritage 1999, with dry-stone terraced fields 1,000–3,045 ft, paved pathways, Hidi (chief) palace with megalithic granite…
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Earthwork
Sungbo's Eredo (Ogun) – Yoruba's 160-km Earthwork Rampart
Late Iron Age / Yoruba (Ijebu) · Ijebu Yoruba (Oloye Bilikisu Sungbo tradition)
Largest single monument in Africa: 160 km curvilinear ditch-and-bank snaking 20 m deep through rainforest around medieval Ijebu kingdom (800–1000 CE, Darling charcoal).
🇳🇬 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 village
Surame Outlier Hillforts
Kebbi Empire (15th–18th c.) · Kebbi / Zamfarawa
Chain of 4 hilltop outlier forts with 1.5 km walls each protecting Surame fields.