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Pyramids at the Nsude Village Shrine, Abaja Igbo, Northern Igbo

Image Architecture
Stepped earthen pyramids at Nsude village shrine
Pyramids at the Nsude Village Shrine, Abaja Igbo, Northern Igbo, circa 1930-1939

This black-and-white photograph from the 1930s by G.I. Jones shows a series of stepped earthen pyramids at the Nsude village shrine in Abaja Igbo, Northern Igbo. The pyramids, constructed of mud, feature rounded graduated levels decreasing in size and culminating in a pointed top. Tall grasses and vegetation surround the structures, which are strategically placed on elevated ground. The image documents the architectural and religious significance of these shrine pyramids, which were associated with the Uto deity and represent important examples of Igbo sacred architecture.

Community Notes

Onyeka Nwokike

Apr 18, 2026

The shrine consists of ten circular stepped pyramids. The first base section measured 60 feet in circumference and 3 feet in height, while the subsequent stack measured 45 feet.

The site was documented by E.R. Chadwick in the 1935 article "The Nsude Pyramids" published in the journal *Nigerian Field*. Igbo people

Onyeka Nwokike

Apr 18, 2026

Initial reports of the structures date to an 1891 exploration mission led by British explorer Luke Walter, though they did not gain wider recognition until the 1930s. In 1938, English archaeologist Kenneth Murray conducted an expedition to document the site and other Igbo cultural artifacts.

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