Situated on 180 acres of land is the beautiful palace of the Olowo of the Owo Kingdom, Ondo state. It’s regarded as the largest palace in the whole of Africa with over 100 inner courts, museums, markets, and many other things.
The palace built almost 1,000 years ago is a place to behold for those who value tradition and culture. It houses artifacts and ancient facilities many of which are now monuments contained in the museum located within the palace.
A historian, Olusola Olutayo, disclosed: “Owo has the largest palace in Africa, which was declared a national monument by the Federal Government in the year 2000. Each courtyard has a specific function and was dedicated to a particular deity. The largest, said to have been twice the size of an American football field, was used for public assemblies and festivals.”
The palace was built in 1340 during the reign of Olowo Irengenje. He moved the palace from the Ojuti Asegbo to its present site. Its 1,000 rooms and courtyards are known as Ugha while some of the courtrooms served as shrines and places of worship of ancestors. This could be the reason the National Museum Centre is situated within the palace.
Credit: Wikipedia, Sunnews