Idanre Hill

The Idanre Hill, or Oke Idanre is located in Idanre town in Ondo State of southwestern Nigeria.

The Idanre hill is well-known for its landscape. Its wide variety on cultural sites as 'Owa's Palace', shrines, The Old Court, Belfry, Agbooogun footprint, thunder water (Omi Apaara) and burial grounds have since brought the location fame and the nation's nomination for the UNESCO World Heritage Site shortlist. It resides 3000 ft (914.4meters) above sea level and houses a unique ecosystem upon which the cultural landscape has Integrated. It also has diverse and variegated eco-systems of flora and fauna. Oke Idanre contains very important bio-physical and land form features whose interaction with the physical features created an enduring cultural landscape within the setting.

Statements of authenticity and/or integrity
Idanre hill is one of the most awesome and beautiful natural landscapes in Ondo State and Nigeria. Added to its beauty which fires human curiosity is the fact that the entire people of Idanre lived on these boulders for almost a millennium. Since emigration down hill in 1923, the topography, vegetation as well as the fauna and floral life have remained undistributed. However the festivals provides occasions for reconciliation of the low-landers and their natural environments as well as reenactments or historical episodes in local Idanre history and its wider Yoruba ideology, mythology and confederacy.

There is the Ogun festival, which is partly celebrated on top of the hills during October and Ije festival, which spread over seven days.

Apart from the festivals, which make the site a living tradition, the flora and fauna of the hills are also unique. There is a special species of tailless animal called Hyrax that lives on the rocks which because of hunting are becoming extinct and there are special monkeys sported near Orosun hills.

The hill is also plays host to a group of scientists and field researchers. The site is home to a group of bats and the people hold a unique festival of bats every year. The hill is being used by filmmakers as location for many of their films. In addition, the one and only Nobel Prize Winner for Literature in Africa Professor Wole Soyinka wrote his longest poem titled "Idanre and other Poems".

Comparison with other similar properties
Most settlements in Nigeria have, by nature and tradition, been around or attached to groves and hills. Majority of these groves and hills have either been abandoned or are now limited to very small areas. Idanre hill, however, like Dala hill in Kano North West Nigeria has retained its qualities as the central moderating influence of the settlement pattern of Idanre people. Like Dala hill which started as an iron ore prospecting settlement and provided the foundation for the growth of Kano city, Idanre hill forms the nucleus for the peopling Idanre.

Geology
Idanre Hill is located on a Precambrian igneous batholith that is about 500 Million years old, and is cut by several large fracture that form deep valleys within the rocks.

World Heritage status
This site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on 8 October 2007 in the Cultural category.

Myths
Idanre Hill is said to have 9 ancient wonders and beliefs

All the following myths are located on the Idanre hill;

1. "Ibi Akaso" The Steps 2. The King's Palace 3. Agboogun’s Legacy 4. Unreadable signs 5. Agboogun's footprint 6. The wonderful mat 7. "Omi Aopara" Aopara Water 8. The Orosun Hill 9. Arun river

Wildlife
Amietophrynus perreti, or the Perret's toad, is only known from a single locality at the Idanre Hill. The five sites where forest elephants are found in southern Nigeria are the Omo Forests in Ogun State, the Okomu National Park in Edo State, the Cross River National Park in Cross River State, the Idanre Forests and Osse River Park in Ondo State and the Andoni Island in Rivers State. (Nigerian Conservation Foundation)

Civilization
The ancient settlement of Idanre has existed on the hill since antiquity, however Western civilization was introduced to the ancient city when a team of missionaries led by Rev. Gilbert Carter arrived in the year 1894.

The missionaries built the first primary school in the year 1896 of which the clay building still stands strong till this day. In the year 1906, a law court was established which includes an ancient prison where the convicts spend their jail term.