In 1485 the Portuguese were stunned to find this empire in the African jungle - a wealthy and highly organised society. Mathematically laid out city, earthworks longer than the Great Wall of China and 100X more material used for its Walls than the Great Pyramid of Cheops, Benin City was one of the best planned cities in the world when London was a place of βthievery and murderβ. So why is nothing left? Benin City was the power-seat of the Great Benin Kingdom, which was destroyed, looted and burned to the ground. Today, some of the looted treasures (Benin Bronzes), some from the 13th century, are in Europe, America and other western nations. Most Edo people never see these treasures of art, culture and traditions of their ancestors. After the British destroyed Benin Empire, it was amalgamated with other regions which the British named "Nigeria". Benin Kingdom flourished 13thβ19th century. The king of Benin (Oba Ovonramwen N' Ogbaisi) believed that the trade treaties and the impositions the pushed by the British was economically, culturally, socially and physically detrimental to the people of Benin. Also, at this time, the British was eager to control completely, the African land mass grabbed in 1884 (Check the Berlin Conference of 1884).