Amazing images from the book on ancient Benin kingdom "Ancient African Town" by Fiona MacDonald
Thanks @invitemecuh for sharing!
1. Benin Moat (Iya) were built of a ditch & dike structure; the ditch was dug to form the moat with the excavated earth used to form the rampart.
2. The Benin courtyard architecture (Ikun): Benin traditional house is based on Ikun architectural design which is a rectangular structure with several Ikuns (courtyards) surrounded by rooms. The Oba palace was recorded to have has 201 Ikuns before 1897. Ogiamien’s palace has 13.
3. Iyoba (Queens Mother): Queen Idia, the 1st Iyoba of Benin kingdom was a General who had her own palace, kept her own court & had her own military regiment (the queen's own) at Uselu town. She was one of the most powerful persons in Benin history.
4. The royal ancestral altar: Royal ancestral altars where built for past Oba & queens of Benin kingdom many of which were looted by the British. British troops reported 18 altars dedicated to previous obas when they took possession of the palace in 1897.
5. Benin cloths: There was a booming textile industry in the ancient Benin. The Portuguese called the Benin cloths, "moupon" & Europeans chroniclers Artus, Dapper, Nyendael, & Barbot all mentioned these clothes were exported.
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