History Behind The Water That Cure Barrenness (The Suspended Lake In Ado Awaye, Oyo State)

The History behind the suspended lake is intriguing. Its name, Iyake, means “woman cry.” It is said by the locals that, a barren woman from Ota, Ogun State, migrated to Oyó during the ancient Oyó Empire, She was loved by many but her barrenness was mocked by some of the locals. Because she couldn’t handle the mockery, she committed suicide by falling into the lake. Hence the name ‘Iyake lake’. Since then, according to sources, the lake was believed to cure barrenness ever since the said woman fell and died inside it.

Also, locals in that area believed that if you pray with the water from the lake, bathe with it or drink it you won’t be barren; it will cure your barrenness if you are woman who is barren.

Beautiful IYAKE suspended lake in Ado Awaye. It is one of the only 2 hanging lakes worldwide & the only 1 in Africa. A special geological site of worldwide significance, right here in Yoruba land.ne of only two suspended lakes on top of a mountain in the world. It is situated in Ado Awaiye Iseyin, Oyó state, Nigeria. Ado Awaye suspended lake/ hanging lake lies about 20km West of Iseyin, Iseyin Local Government Area of Oyo State. The suspended lake is housed on one of the crests of rocks commonly referred to in surveyor’s language as the “sleeping lion”.Similarly, the 350 steps leading to the top of the hill housing the suspended/ hanging lake takes about an hour to climb. The route to the lake contains many shrines and notable historical spots that make a tourist delight.

While the rocky outcrop can be climbed to gain full view of the whole range of hills laying towards the Benin Republic boarder.People who have succeeded in climbing to a point called by the inhabitants “Esekan Iku” meaning “the verge of death” writes their names with pieces of stone on the rock.The inhabitants lived on the hill and the lake remains a source of water to them. The most wonderful thing about this lake is that, it never dries and it retains the same volume of water even during rainy season.

Evidence of past civilization is many in this nature’s gift, there are broken crucibles of earthen pots and other archeological remains. The geographical axiom of the “higher you go, the cooler it becomes” is manifested on the lake. The beauty of the hill is seen in the thick vegetation which remains evergreen all through the year. The suspended lake is a large slopping rocky plain, which can be developed into picnic/camping site. On top of the hill, one gets a panoramic view of the beautiful scenery of the area.

The lake is believed to be bottomless and no one enters it and survives. History has it that beneath the lake lies another world, a parallel existence ruled over by a goddess of fertility who lives inside the lake. It’s rumored that if one puts their foot in the hole near the lake known as Agbómofúnyàké (Yoruba for “collects child and gives to iyake”) when it’s filled with water, the person will be dragged to the bottom.