Ife

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For other uses, see Ife (disambiguation).

Ifè (or Ilé-Ifẹ̀, as it is properly known) is an ancient Yoruba city in south-western Nigeria. Evidence of settlement of the city has been discovered dating back as far as 500 BC.

Today a mid-sized city, Ifè is home to the Obafemi Awolowo University and Nigeria's Natural History Museum. Ifè has a strong claim to be the spiritual centre of the Yoruba people. According to Yorùbá legend, Ifè is where the founding deities Odùduwà and Obàtálá began the creation of the world, as directed by the paramount deity Olódùmarè. Obàtálá created the first humans out of clay, while Odùduwà became the first divine king of the Yoruba. The Oòni (King) of Ifè claims direct descent from the god Oduduwa, and is counted first among Yoruba kings.

Between 700 and 900 A.D., Ifè began to develop as a major artistic centre, and the city was a settlement of substantial size between the 9th and 12th centuries, with houses featuring potsherd pavement. Ifè is known worldwide for its ancient and naturalistic bronze, stone and terracotta sculptures, which reached their peak of artistic expression between 1200 and 1400 A.D. After this period, production declined as political and economic power shifted to the nearby kingdom of Benin which like the Yoruba kingdom of Oyo, developed into a major empire.

It is located in the present day, Osun state. With a population of 501,952. Ife people are of the Yoruba ethnic group, the largest single ethnic group in Africa. Ife City has a local television station called NTA Ife. Ife city is home to various businesses. Ife City is the trade center for a farming region. Yams, cassava, grain, and tobacco are grown. Cotton is grown and used to weave cloth. Hotels in Ife include Hotel Diganga, Ife-Ibadan, Mayfair Hotel, Obafemi Awolowo University Guest House etc. Ife has a stadium with a capacity of 9,000 and a second division professional league team.

Bronze heads created from this civilization are an early instance of realism in art, dating back before the European renaissance.de:Benutzer:Head/Spielwiese fr:Ife pl:Ife