Benin City, the ancient Edo Capital of Great Benin Kingdom, is still surrounded by a huge mound of earth known as Moat in English and “Iya” in Edo. It is as high and as wide as a two-story building, six miles long, surrounding the most important part of Benin.

Outside this wall is a ditch as deep and as wide as the wall. Both the wall and the ditch were still quite new when the Portuguese first came in 1472 A.D. A massive fortified earthwork entrance gate guarded travelers’ way in. It was supported by timber and watched by soldiers with swords slung under their left armpits. A heavy wooden door built to specification closed the gate.

The ancient Benin, as it still is, was the principal city of the Benin people. It had only nine access roads into it across the moat. The access roads had gates that were guarded by keepers. They are as follows:

• Iya Uzebu: This was situated near the present-day Yangan Fish market and provided access from Uzebu and Ughoton. All overseas travelers to Old Benin got into the city through this gate.
• Iya Osuan: This gate would probably have straddled the moat between the present Igbinedion Road near the press centre and the Nigeria Police Headquarters at the end of Okada Avenue, GRA.
• Iya Urh’Ogba: This gate straddled the moat between the Police Headquarters and Sapele Road, near the Ministry of Works, providing entrance into the city for the towns and villages of Iyekogba, Ivbioto, Etete, Ohoghobi, Uhie, etc. This city gate was probably destroyed by the British Expedition force that came in through Ologbo to gain entrance into the city in February 1897.
• Iya Ivbiyeneva: This gate was constructed across the moat where Sokponba Road today becomes Upper Sokponba Road. It leads to Ugbekun, Oka, Idogbo, Ukhiri, Avbiakagba, and the whole of Iyekorhionmwon districts. Tradition has it that the Iya got its adjunct, Ivbiyeneva, from the fact that two brothers, Og