Igbo Olokun (Olokun Grove)
Igbó Olókun
The grove of Olokun, the sea goddess, beside the northern city walls of Ile-Ife. Excavations here revealed West Africa's earliest local glass-bead workshops (11th–15th centuries), and the famous bronze “Olokun Head” was unearthed here.
The Olokun Grove lies in the north of Ile-Ife beside the outermost earthen city wall, about 2 km from the city center. It was once a forest shrine dedicated to Olokun, goddess of the sea. Archaeological digs have uncovered more than 10,000 glass beads and nearly 800 crucible fragments with glass residue, showing that this was one of West Africa's earliest local glass workshops, active between the 11th and 15th centuries. In 1910, the German ethnologist Leo Frobenius obtained the famous “Olokun Head” here. The site consists mainly of woodland and altars, and access is controlled by its guardians. Visits require permission and must be led by a local guide. It suits visitors interested in archaeology.
Opening hours
Permit required by reservation
Nearby sights
- Oduduwa Shrine and Grove
- Moremi Statue of Liberty
- Palace of the Ooni of Ife
- Olojo Festival
- Oke Mogun
- Ife National Museum
- Opa Oranmiyan (Staff of Oranmiyan)
- Ori Olokun Roundabout