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Discover The Great Benin Moats and Walls – The Longest Man-Made Wall in Human History (4 times longer than the current Great Wall of China) but destroyed by the British.

Did you know, that the Longest Man-Made Wall in Human History is in Benin city in Nigeria, West Africa ?. And it is 4 times longer than the current Great Wall of China. You are surprised right ?

The Benin Moats, called Iya in Benin language is the world greatest man-made structure. Its construction started probably around 40 BC and ended about 1400. It took over 1400 years and more than 150 million hours of physical human effort to complete.

In all, they are four times longer than the Great Wall of China and consumed a hundred times more materials than the Great Pyramid of Cheops. The Guinness Book of World Records describes the Walls of Benin as the world’s second largest man-made structure after China’s Great Wall. However, in terms of length and the series of earthen ramparts, the Benin Walls remain the most extensive earthwork in the world.

The seven wonders of the world in 2022 came out and they included: the Taj Mahal, The Great Wall of China, The Christ the Redeemer Statue, Machu Picchu, Chichen Itza, The Roman Colosseum and Petra with the original being the Great Pyramids of Giza. The list was initially compiled in the second century BCE by Antipater of Sidon who was an ancient Greek writer and poet. In 2000 a Swiss foundation called 7 Wonders launched a campaign to determine the New Seven Wonders of the World from a selection of 200 existing monuments.

The Great Wall of China was chosen amongst the wonders and it consistently makes it onto this prestigious list. The wall is one of the world’s largest building-construction projects and is widely thought to be about 5,500 miles (8,850 km) long.  However, the wall is rivalled by the overlooked Walls of Benin, which are four times longer than The Great Wall of China. The walls are located in Benin City, a city situated in the southwestern part of Nigeria and they are a series of earthworks made up of banks and ditches. The walls were a worthy rival for the Great walls of China, during its glory days, ahead of their time and an enigma that left westerners baffled.

The walls were constructed between 800-1400 AD and when completed they were considered the world’s largest earthworks carried out before the mechanical era. The walls were originally built to enclose the royal precinct of the King or “Oba” from the surrounding area. They were significant and on top of being artwork were constructed to play various roles such as protecting the people in the village from outsiders.

The walls are a testament to the development of urbanization and the upswing of state societies in Sub-Saharan Africa, a period of growth that lasted from the 7th century to the 14th century. The Edo people of Benin have always been revered as trailblazers and skilled workers who were also noted to have created magnificent bronze sculptures, ivory and wood carvings amongst others from as early as the 7th century. Their creations were so spectacular that they were looted mainly by the British and even after lots of resistance, they are still displayed in museums across Europe and America.

The significance of these walls has been watered down over the last centuries. Like many other artworks, inventions or edifices that were built in Africa, their significance is often overlooked or deemed inferior to their counterparts in the west. This phenomenon has led to numerous people in the west claiming to invent things that were invented in Africa. Africa’s discoveries and innovations have received relatively little attention, recognition and celebration as compared to other regions of the world, even though most of them were ‘inspired’ by African inventions. Black people across the world have been oppressed and treated as inferior their works were often taken credit for by their white masters.

Initially, as stated by Ron Eglash “when Europeans first came to Africa, they considered the architecture very disorganized and thus primitive. It never occurred to them that the Africans might have been using a form of mathematics that they hadn’t even discovered yet.” Europeans and other people in the west often feel the need to categorize things into their labels and anything else outside their realm of comprehension is treated as lesser. It may be done consciously or unconsciously; however, its effects are detrimental to African knowledge, artworks and overall development.

The walls were first discovered by Portuguese explorers and they were unfortunately destroyed by the British in 1897 during what has become known as the Benin Expedition. During the expedition, the Benin bronzes and other artifacts were looted and taken back to Europe. These horrendous actions that were committed by colonial masters resulted in Africans losing their history as well as the distortion of African cultures.  What was once a majestic and revered structure has in recent times it has become scattered pieces of the structure that remain in Edo, with the vast majority of them being used by the locals for building purposes. What remains of the wall itself continues to be torn down for real estate developments. This abomination of African history should be restored to its former glory, this will not only restore pride to the people in Benin but, will also create job opportunities for local people through tourism. The restoration of the walls falls in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for Sustainable Cities and Communities, as it reinforces the importance of safeguarding the world’s cultural and natural heritage.

The walls were not just a wall, but it was used as armour against enemies, mathematical usages and so forth. Its significance should be celebrated and never forgotten. The wall needs to be acknowledged and advocated to be put in as one of the UNESCO world heritage sites. This magnificent structure needs to be on the same level as the Great Wall of China and once it is restored, it will be an illustration of Africa’s significant contribution to the world’s advancement.

The Great Benin Moat and Walls

Less than five centuries (500 years) after the completion of the Moats and Benin Walls, the rampaging British soldiers ravaged the historic walls in what has come to be known as the Benin Massacre or Punitive Expedition.

The historic Great Walls of Benin were estimated to had extended to about 16,000 km in length. According to archaeological documentation, it took over 150 million hours of digging by local people to construct the Walls and the structure is considered as the largest single archaeological phenomenon on earth.

The 1897 senseless and unjustifiable massacre of Benin Kingdom by the imperialist British soldiers destroyed more than 1400 years of the history of the Great Kingdom of Benin and one of the earliest evidences of African civilization. On June 1, 1967, the inner and outer city Walls, some of which were surveyed and mapped were proclaimed National Monument. And in 1995, the historic Benin Wall was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Though, the 1897 war practically destroyed one of the practical evidences of Benin unrivalled civilization, the presence of the Moats and Walls in Benin Kingdom continues to evoke memories of the once wealthy, powerful and industrious kingdom that ever lived in African history.

The Guinness Book of World Records carried an entry in its 1974 Edition that described Benin City as: “The largest earthworks in the world carried out prior to the mechanical era.”

Oba Oguola, Oba Ewuare I and Oba Ozolua re-dug the moats and deepened them for the protection of the people and Benin Kingdom at their periods of reign. It must be noted that the moats have been in existence before the Ogiso dynasty.

 Another fundamental thing to note is that the origin of Iya or Moats in Benin started and developed probably in three phases. These were: pre-Ogiso period, Ogiso period and Oba period. The moats were made at different times for socio-political organization, economic and trades, defence and boundary purposes.

The Moats and Benin Walls remain some of the invaluable legacies of the Ancient Benin kingdom. They are among the cultural and historic heritage that ranks Benin as one of the oldest, better defended, well organized, intelligently governed and prosperous Kingdoms that ever lived on planet earth.

The Walls of Benin: Four Times Longer Than The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of Africa, often overshadowed by its more famous counterpart in China, is a monumental feat of human engineering that deserves greater recognition in our collective historical narrative. Spanning approximately 5,000 kilometres across the southern regions of Africa, this impressive structure was built from the 13th to the 19th centuries by various communities, primarily the Tswana people, to protect against invasions and raids. It is a testament to the ingenuity and resilience of those who constructed it, yet it remains largely absent from popular history.

One reason for this omission could be the longstanding Eurocentric focus in historical narratives, which often prioritize events and achievements from a Western perspective. The Great Wall of China, with its rich cultural symbolism and association with imperial power, has captured the global imagination, while the Great Wall of Africa, with its roots in local traditions and regional significance, has been neglected. This discrepancy highlights a broader trend in history where the contributions of non-Western civilizations are frequently minimized or overlooked.

Stay tuned to our website for the continuation of this series on the Great Walls and Moats of the Benin Kingdom

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