Royal Palace Of Oba Of Benin, Royal residence in Benin City, Nigeria.
The Royal Palace of the Oba of Benin is a palace complex in Benin City, Nigeria, with multiple buildings, galleries, courtyards and ceremonial spaces. It serves as the administrative centre of the Benin Kingdom. Among its structures are a marble-staircased façade, the iha n'iregun meeting place, the Ugie-Ikpolokpolo royal chamber and the Oba's throne.
Oba Ewedo (reigned 1255–1280) built the first palace at the centre of the ancient City of Benin. It was destroyed in the 1897 war with the British, and Oba Eweka II (1914–1932) built a new palace on the site. The palace was declared a UNESCO Listed Heritage Site in 1999.
The palace is where the Oba of Benin and other royals live, and it once housed the Benin Bronzes, the brass and ivory works now scattered among museums worldwide. Most visitors are curators, archaeologists or historians rather than tourists. The relief plaque in the photographs shows a standing man in a ridged headdress and necklace with pointed pendants, a strap across his chest, a coiled armlet and a flintlock-style firearm held across his body, with two vertical marks on his cheeks.
The palace stands in the centre of Benin City, at the heart of the old kingdom capital. Visitors are mostly curators, archaeologists and historians, and the grounds are entered with permission arranged beforehand. The Oba's meeting place, the iha n'iregun, and the ceremonial courts are inside the complex.
Inside the complex are wooden pillars covered in copper engravings depicting past military victories and major events of the kingdom. These ornate columns provide insight into how power and success were recorded through visual art forms.
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