What is your view on Heritage?

HERITAGE IS NOT EVIL

Heritage is the legacy of physical science artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations.
Heritage tourism is defined by the World Tourism Organization as trips, whose main or concomitant goal is visiting the sites and events whose cultural and historical value has turn them being a part of the cultural heritage of a community.

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This is inside Ancient Palace at Oke Idanre Hill, Ondo State. There were 25 Obas who had ruled unbroken tenure at Oke Idanre . One of the a major attraction at Idanre Hills Tourist Center Owa’s Palace. The cow Head bones were kept to count numbers of years in those days.

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Main entrance to the Palace.

Inside Owa’s Palace Oke Idanre(Ancient Palace) Beautified with different sculpture as a Pillar .

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Tourist exploring Oke Idanre Hill

Brief History of Idanre

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

Oke Idanre hill consists of high plain with spectacular valleys interspersed with inselbergs of about 3,000 ft above sea level. Its physical attributes include Owa’s Palace, Shrines, Old Court, Belfry, Agbooogun foot print, thunder water (Omi Aopara) and burial mounds and grounds. 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.

According to history, Idanre people used to live high up on the hills, in an area which is now known as Old Oke-Idanre, a major attraction at Idanre Hills Tourist Center.

This area consists of old and dilapidated mud buildings roofed in rust-brown iron sheets, set on well laid-out streets. Attesting to the architectural taste of the old Idanre people, the old magistrate court, the first primary school, the Oba’s palace and the market square hold their original place and location at Odeja Village, Old Oke-Idanre.

It was recorded that the old Idanre people descended the hills and resettled at the present foothill location of Idanre town. It has also been noted that every street in the new Idanre town has a replica at the Old-Oke Idanre and every family has been allowed to retain ownership of their family houses at the Old enclave.

The people are known to be very proud of their heritage in culture and history and these have never ceased to draw tourists of all ramifications to the hilltop site. However, in order to reach the hilltop village site, one will have to ascend 653 steps that leads up the hills.