Pyramids are as African as apple pie is American.

Sudan, Niger Republic, and Egypt are homes to hundreds of magnificent ancient pyramids, built by our illustrious ancestors.

Few people know however, that the pyramid building culture, did not escape the area known today as Nigeria.

Specifically among the Igbo people.

The British colonialists were stunned to find in the area of Udi (Enugu State), rows of pyramids up to 40 feet high, that resembled sharply the famous Step Pyramid of Saqqara, in Egypt, built over 5,000 years ago.

The Nsude Pyramids of Igboland are of course, of a smaller size than their mighty examples further up the continent, and were built of locally available red clay.

But they do attest to a complex, sophisticated culture deep in the Igbo forest regions in antiquity.

Who destroyed those pyramids?

Did they just fall into disrepair naturally in this short time between the British 'discovery' and today?

Doubtful.

They surely need restoration to serve as historical education, and tourist attractions.


Nsude Pyramids







Step Pyramid, Saqqara Egypt

These Nsude Pyramids closely resemble the Step Pyramid of Saqqara, Egypt (constructed in 2648 BC). They are undoubtedly of the same tradition.

Excellent report by the Vanguard


Nsude Pyramids: Black Africa’s Lost Heritage?

On the Udi highlands of Enugu state, the Nsude pyramids once stood as a testimony to Black Africa’s level of cultural enlightenment. Built with hardened red earth and clay, the structures lasted centuries until the 1930s when degradation followed years of negligence, so much that today only their faint outlines can be traced. A report on the monuments published in Wikipedia describes them as “one of the unique structures of Igbo culture”.

Appeals have been made in the past by the community leaders as well as historians for the restoration of the circular pyramids which bear a striking resemblance to the Step Pyramid of Saqqara, in Egypt. Unless the Nigerian government takes appropriate steps to reconstruct them, that historical monument will remain, perhaps, one of black Africa’s greatest losses to world civilization.

Now, scholars believe there were more of them, with the possibility they may rewrite the history of black Africa. Even more compelling is the attraction it holds for tourism in Nigeria. At a time the pyramids in Egypt have turned the economic mainstay of the North African country with approximately 14.7 million tourists flocking in a year, revenues peaked in excess of $12.5 billion as recently as in 2010. It is still a mystery why the Nsude pyramids which once stood with circumferences of about eighty feet and a pinnacle reaching up to 40 feet, were constructed in the first place.

Much of what were known of them were tales about how they were used in times past for surveillance against hostile neighbours during inter-community wars. Historical accounts say the pyramids were first constructed in the topmost altitudes of the community’s boundary villages at Umuaka and Ugwuto: while only one large pyramid stood at Umuaka part of the community overlooking Ngwo and parts of Nkanu land, a set of 10 pyramids—standing five-a-side on two rows—was located at Ugwuto, overlooking Owa in Ezeagu Local Government Area.

While this surveillance theory is the most believable considering the community’s fame in inter-community wars in times past, other accounts, however, attribute the construction of the monuments to the memory of Uto-Nsude, the community’s war hero that has since become a deity. The third theory that the pyramids may have served as furnaces for iron smelting lacks credibility as not much by way of history has linked Nsude and the larger Udi area to iron smelting. Europeans who carried out extensive geographical survey and explorations for solid mineral in various places around the Udi hills had first ‘discovered’ the pyramids.

The first 'discovery' was credited to one Luke Walter, a British who led one of the exploration missions in 1891. It is either Mr. Walters did not document his ‘discovery’ probably because he did not consider it of historical significance, or whatever he did has been lost in time. It was not until 1935 that an anthropologist and colonial administrator in the area, Mr. G.I. Jones took what is, perhaps, the only surviving photographs of the historical monuments and after printing them, scribbled behind them what has today become vital information. His photographs were not made public until a few years back when they were published by his estate. Apart from oral historical accounts of the pyramids, the limited information provided are reproduced from notes written by Jones on the black and white photographs.

Recently, the Nsude community leader Mr. Emmanuel Ozoani had ordered an inspection of the site of the set of 10 pyramids in Ugwuto, with a view to renewing the call for their restoration. The pyramids which were said to have been maintained annually with red mud mixed with cow dung, were robbed of this preservation by the advent of modernity and sheer negligence. It is believed that since the 1930s, they were not preserved in any way and have over the years been totally degraded.

There is even a theory that the British colonialists may have conspired to degrade the structures whose ‘discovery’ sharply contradicted their position that Black Africa lived with no civilization until their arrival.

The visit by community officials to the site, however, revealed that it was still possible to fully restore them.

The story is the same with the lone pyramid that once stood at Umuaka area of Nsude. According to another community leader, Mr. Gab Ozougwu, the pyramid once stood at the eastern entry point where the community had maintained the mysterious Iga gate. While he explained that it has been degraded and almost submerged by erosion that has since developed a gully at the site, Ozougwu who now heads the village union, says it has been a subject of enquiries by some Europeans in recent years. He disclosed that one of his predecessors, well aware of the historical relevance of the pyramid, constructed a miniature version in front of the Umuaka community hall at Obu Anukwu in the 1970s.

The replica made of concrete cement, with the same five circular cones, still stands to this day. Between the Nigerian pyramids and those of Egypt, the similarity ends with the conical shape. It still remains a mystery for instance, when and how the Nsude Pyramids were built. Archaelogists believe the clay/mud pyramids may have been built at the same time the first or second wave of Egyptian pyramids were built by the Nubians, but no records are available on the actual period when they came into being.

The Egyptian pyramids were built by moving huge stones from a quarry and dragging and lifting them into place. Built during the reign of Fourth Dynasty Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu over a 20 year period ending in 2540 B.C., the 2.3 million cubic meters pyramid at Giza, with base measurement of 227.5 meters and vertical height of 137.2 meters, is believed to have involved about 60,000 labourers.

The Nsude pyramids were made of tons of hardened red earth and clay.

While those great pyramids on the Giza Plateau of Egypt including the massive sculpture known as the Great Sphinx have historically become symbols of Egyptian culture and world civilization, Nigeria and the Black race have not benefitted culturally from the Nsude pyramids in any way. If restored, they may yet rewrite Black Africa’s history. More importantly, in terms of potentials for tourism in Nigeria, it is a gold mine waiting to be tapped.

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/11/nsude-pyramids-black-africas-lost-heritage/

With the way they are removing mountains in Abuja, whereby you will be seeing one huge mountain in one area, next 3 weeks when you pass same area construction companies have used the mountain to make roads, how much more some red mud formation that my Igbo brothers would not have used to build houses and bricks for sale.

APC or the Fulani's..
Either of them

Op nice one, atleast its good learning more on the igbo and its ancestral culture. quite educative

nairalandankrah:
APC or the Fulani's..
Either of them

The British more like...

mcjohny:
Op nice one, atleast its good learning more on the igbo culture. quite educative

Thanks bro.

I think the wet humid rainforest could not sustain most of the artifacts. If Pyramid can be found in Sudan, even until lately the Hausa built the grand nuts pyramids from past experience.

So I can understand Nsude pyramids. The same with the Bilikisu Sugbon landmass in Ijebu Ode gradually disappearing.

Then the was Iwo Eleru artifacts. If Mexico has pyramid why not Igbo pyramids?

All the records in Timbuktu will soon disappear if there are no funds to preserve them.

Wow... Am wowed

Have they not served their purpose?

It has been documented too.

People that cannot give good governance will never consider this a priority.

Technology is the future

Tinubu,,

lost heritage of the lost tribe.

Maybe it was bombarded during the civil war

illicit:
Maybe it was bombarded during the civil war

I reckon it happened much earlier, or we would have had many photos of them from the 50s, 60s etc. I suspect the Brits blew it up.

If the British wanted to destroy all evidence that the people built pyramids, why would they document them and take photos of them first, before blowing them up?

Structures made of mud deterioriate quickly in the humid rainforest, if they're not maintained. The more people turned to Christianity and Western education, the less number of interested young people were available to maintain the pyramids which were associated with 'paganism'.

RedboneSmith:
If the British wanted to destroy all evidence that the people built pyramids, why would they document them and take photos of them first, before blowing them up?

Structures made of mud deterioriate quickly in the humid rainforest, if they're not maintained. The more people turned to Christianity and Western education, the less number of interested young people were available to maintain the pyramids which were associated with 'paganism'.

That one of them took a photo of it doesn’t mean they didn’t destroy it.

Quintopia:


That one of them took a photo of it doesn’t mean they didn’t destroy it.

Documenting its existence defeats the purpose of destroying it. They were still standing in the 1930s, long after the so-called pacification of Igboland when colonial armies unleashed violence in Igboland. I fail to see the rationale for destroying it after the 1930s if they left it untouched in the 1900 - 1918 period.

Also if such important monuments were destroyed so late as the post-1930s era, the people will remember. There are no oral histories of them being destroyed by the colonialists.

The pyramids disappeared because its custodians neglected to maintain it (after embracing Christianity and Westernisation), and in the humid tropical climate, mud structures don't last if not maintained.

RedboneSmith:


Documenting its existence defeats the purpose of destroying it. They were still standing in the 1930s, long after the so-called pacification of Igboland when colonial armies unleashed violence in Igboland. I fail to see the rationale for destroying it after the 1930s if they left it untouched in the 1900 - 1918 period.

Also if such important monuments were destroyed so late as the post-1930s era, the people will remember. There are no oral histories of them being destroyed by the colonialists.

The pyramids disappeared because its custodians neglected to maintain it (after embracing Christianity and Westernisation), and in the humid tropical climate, mud structures don't last if not maintained.

You’re quite right.

RedboneSmith:


The pyramids disappeared because its custodians neglected to maintain it (after embracing Christianity and Westernisation), and in the humid tropical climate, mud structures don't last if not maintained.

Makes sense. Just hope the language doesn't disappear over time due to neglect and Westernisation.

Hate to rain on anyone's parade, but the man who took the photos in the early 1930's also wrote that "Two years ago the local Dibia, 7.e., mystic or witchdoctor, informed the priest of Uto, a genial old man, that Uto had told the Dibia that it wanted the people of Nsude to erect ten Nkpuru (pyramids) in its honour andas a sign to all and sundry that Uto is a great juju and lord and master of Nsude.

He described the building of these shrines.

"Two years ago when the ten pyramids were erected it was found that when the lower platform or Nkpuruhad been built there was plenty of roomfor a second Nkpuru, which was therefore built on the top of the first. A third Nkpuru was built on top of the second, and so on until there was only room for a small cone in the centre of the fourth Nkpuruor platform."

These are made of mud and clay and it's not surprising they have eroded.

There's no evidence of this Luke Walter person, all mentions seem to be from this century.

Continuing to research to make sure I haven't missed anything I found a 1921 source about what may be similar pyramids.
"In the neighbourhood of Ngwo, Nsude and Agbaja Owa in the Udi Division, at intervals, the people construct quaint circular pyramids. Clay is used for the purpose. The bases are about sixty feet in circumference and two to three feet in height. Then another section is laid about forty-five feet in circumference and so on until the pinnacle is reached. They are erected to the honour of “ Ala ” and to indicate ownership of land.
Two rows of five are built parallel to one another which means that “ Ala ” gives children with the right hand and the left. The god (or goddess) dwells in the pinnacle and, thus, is in a position to detect any person committing evil. Such a person will be caught by the god and secured with shackles ; these are represented by small sticks inserted in the clay near the tops of the pyramids."[https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Among_the_Ibos_of_Nigeria/hKssBgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1] P.109 This is the book ''Among the Ibos of Nigeria An Account of the Curious & Interesting Habits, customs, & Beliefs of a Little Known African People by One who Has for Many Years Lived Amongst Them on Close & Intimate Terms''. 1921
This doesn't of course contradict my source above, just shows that these are earlier. We can't know how often these eroded and were replaced.

If you believe Nsude pyramids was anywhere in Nigeria you are high on coke.

Do you not have eyes to see the sorrounding topology in the picture? Tell me where in Nigeria you have such landscape sorrounding a pyramid.

I oland is in forest jungle. Do you see any forest anywhere?

Im sure after seeing this post their propagandists will fabricate a new image, complete with forests to publish for new evidence.