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46 places in the atlas.
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Ancient city
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
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 · Earthwork
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 village
Medieval Hausa (Bakwai period, 9th–15th c. CE) · Hausa (Daura, Hausa Bakwai)
Sacred pondfield where Bayajida slew snake Sarki (Daura origin).
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Fortress
Medieval Hausa to Sokoto period (13th–19th c. CE) · Hausa (Katsina)
Granite inselberg hillfort south of Katsina with rock gongs.
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Tell
Late Kanem-Bornu (15th–18th c. CE) · Kanuri (Bornu)
Lake-fishery satellite tell west of Bornu capital on Nguru fen fen.
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Rock art
Middle Stone Age to Iron Age (92,000 BP–500 CE) · MSA/LSA forest foragers
Iwo Eleru Rock Shelter in southwest Nigeria forest is Later Stone Age to Iron Age shelter 92,000–3,000 BP with 13ka calvaria of early modern human with archaic features (Iwo Eleru skull) sparking…
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Earthwork
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 · Fortress
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
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
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 · Ancient village
Iron Age to present (500 BCE–present) · Mandara / Wandala / Kanuri
Mandara terrace villages with 10 km stone terraces and iron forges.
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Rock art
Late Stone Age to Iron Age (4000 BCE–1500 CE) · Nok-related / Hausa
National park shelters with 12 iron furnaces and Shira rock paintings.
