Ile-Ife, the cradle of the Yorubas, the city of survivors, spiritual seat of the Yorubas, where the dawn of the day was first experienced, the source, the head of the whole universe, the land of the most ancient day, the home of divinities is to the people of Ife “ILURUN” i.e Gateway to heaven. Ile-Ife is located in the South Western part of Nigeria, West Africa.

The history of Ile-Ife, the ancient city of Yorubaland is mythical, like the biblical account of the creation of the world, but it is so far unwritten. Since their great foreparents are impossible to come by. Traditional is therefore handed over from one generation to another orally.

The history of Ife can also be chronologically divided into three periods: The first Ife was known as Ife Oodaye, Ile owuro, ibiti oju ti mo, that is, the land of most ancient days where the dawn of the day was first experienced. Tradition claims that the life of this community came to an end as a result of flood which flushed the whole area occupied by the community. Those who survived the deluge formed the nucleus of the community that formed the second era of the history of Ife.

The second Ife was called Ife Ooyelagbo, that is, the city of the survivors. Tradition maintains that the second Ife lasted until the arrival of some strangers who entered the city of Ile-Ife from the “East”. An attempt made by the strangers to seize power from the aborigines on the land led to a bloody struggle between the strangers led by the Oduduwa on one hand and the aborigines led by Obatala, eventually Oduduwa and his groups won the war.

The third Ife is called Ile-Ife founded with the arrival of Oduduwa and his groups. It is believed that Oduduwa, the founder of the Yoruba raced emerged after the deluge, he (Oduduwa) and his followers descended on to dry land by means of chain ropes from their life boat. And later anchored on Oke-Ora (Oranfe Hill) between Ile-Ife and Itagunmodi on the Ife-Ilesa road, from where they came to Moore quarter in Ile-Ife.

Nowadays, written documents claim that Oduduwa migrated from Mecca to Egypt. From Egypt to the Sudan, he was said to have traveled down to Ile-Ife, Nigeria through Nupe Land in about 900 A.D. or 1000 A.D. The exact time is not yet known and that he was the acceptable leader with a personality which dominated the scene. He conquered the people he met there and established a Yoruba dynasty. Prominent among those people he met at Ile-Ife were Oreluere, a very powerful wiseman and Orunmila, Ifa Priest also known as “Agbonmiregun”. For instance, Agbonmiregun later became Oduduwa consultant.

Although some of the stories have been modified and universally accepted. The most universally accepted is that Oduduwa is the father of the Yoruba. He is the ancestorial father of any Ooni or Oni in Ile-Ife (i.e. he who owns the land of Ife) that ever reigned or will reign in Ile-Ife.

In a nutshell, tradition holds it generally that Ile-Ife is the cradle of the Yoruba and the capital of Yoruba kingdom before the emergence of Oyo Empire.