History of Africa usually governed by an "oba" and an "iwarefa", a council of chiefs who advised the "oba." by the 18th century, the Yoruba city-states formed a loose confederation, with the "Oni" of Ife as the head and Ife as the capital. As time went on, the individual city-states became more powerful with their "obas" assuming more powerful spiritual positions and diluting the authority of the "Oni" of Ife. Rivalry became intense among the city-states. The Oyo Empire rose in the 16th century. The Oyo state had been conquered in 1550 by the kingdom of Nupe, which was in possession of cavalry,
Legends of Africa learning on Earth. The brilliance of the city was such that it still shines in the imagination after three centuries like a star which, though dead, continues to send its light toward us. Such was its splendor that in spite of its many vicissitudes after the death of Askia, the vitality of Timbuktu is not extinguished. The Oyo Empire (c. 1400–1835) was a West African empire of present-day Nigeria. The empire was established by the Yoruba in the 15th century and grew to become one of the largest West African states encountered by colonial explorers. It rose to pre-eminence through