Ever heard of the Seven Wonders of the World? What historians forgot to add to the list is the ancient city of Somorika in Edo State, Nigeria.There lies a cluster of invincible works of art standing raw and gazing innocently at the open sky – the city on seven hills. Are you bold and daring? A visit to Somorika will prove you.
The sun is said to rise and set on the city. Looking at it from the seventh hill, the cloud seems to form a kind of covering over the community. The collection of primordial relics and buildings seem to remind one of prehistoric cities around the world, especially the types one finds in Asia which today serve as tourist sites for foreigners, thus earning a lot of revenue. Indeed, looking at the city with a zoom lens, one is also reminded of the finger of an unseen master-artist at work. The community seems to have a lot of one-storey buildings that date back in time.
The journey to Somorika is a daring and interesting one. It is situated east in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State. Like most ancient cities with a touch of mystery, to get to the city on the rocks, as it is often called, one would have to find the road leading to it, first. To get there would mean ascending seven hills which are crusty. Still, the curtness is what gives the expedition an interesting and audacious appeal. Each of the seven hills is unique and they all have names. The first is Ayalade. Ogundugundu, the second, is the longest and highest of them all.
Somorika experience is one of mystery and awe. From the hilly roads leading to the community and the tour of the entire area, the feeling is one of excitement. Like ancient tales told only by elders, Somorika could pass for one of the towns in those tales. Each point of the tour gives a narrative that can serve for an adventure novel.As with many ancient settlements, it has a lot of mysteries, history and works of art which are not man-made. One of such geological wonders is the Oriakpe in Somorika – the big rock wearing a little cap shaped like a human fingernail. Whether natural or not, these works, rocks, caves and springs can compete with any tourist destination in any part of the world. For the adventurous souls, a visit to Somorika, the community on the rocks, is a life-time experience that would leave the traveller in high spirits always. The place has the power to leave a mark on the daring souls.
What perhaps never cease to amaze visitors who throng this historical enclave is the precipitatious natural rocky ascents that go as high as 1700 feet which are interspersed at roughly unequal intervals that fill the borders of the village. These also contain artificial rocky hangers that served as formidable defenses for the Somorikans during the British assault of 1904. These formations of boulders like smooth topped rocks appear to have been concentrated at the summit of the Kukuruku hills. Somorika was reputed to have served as relaxation and vacation spots for British officers and their families during the colonial era due to its exciting landscape.
Another site worthy of beholding is some indelible marks which appear well preserved by nature. The marks are believed to have been made by shrapnels from the British rockets during the war. The region is called Ekisa rocks by the natives. There is also the Oriakpe rock. It comprises a human shaped rock carved intricately by nature on a massive boulder.
It is believed to belong to a girl who was agglutinated to the rock due to her disobedience and insolence to the gods. The girl, Omologboloyin, violated an outstanding taboo during Ohome, the marriage festival of the Somorikans. She was subsequently turned into a rock by the gods. Oriakpe rock with Omogboloyin sitting appears to be the only known symbol of Somorika today.
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