Zuma Rock, the Face on the Mountain
A huge dome of rock beside the road to Abuja has a face on it, and people say it has watched over the land for centuries.
What was reported
Zuma Rock is a bare granite dome rising about 300 metres above the plain near Abuja, Nigeria's capital. Streaks on one side make what many people see as a human face, and it's printed on the country's 100-naira note.
The Gbagyi people, who used the rock as a refuge during wars, say spirits live on it. Stories tell of a fire seen on the rock at night before disasters, and of strange cries heard from it.
Explanations offered
The 'face' is a pattern of erosion and dark streaks left by water running down the granite, and the rock is a monolith left standing as softer rock around it wore away. The spirits and the warnings belong to local tradition.
- When
- Told for generations
- Where
- Madalla, Niger, Nigeria
- Witnesses
- Gbagyi tradition, and travellers on the Abuja road
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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