Ààfin — Palace
Category: Places
The royal palace where a town's Ọba (king) resides and holds court.
An ààfin is often the historic and spiritual centre of a Yorùbá town, with the rest of the settlement having grown up around it.
An ààfin is more than a residence — it's historically the administrative and ceremonial centre of a Yorùbá town, where the Ọba holds court, settles disputes, and receives chiefs and visitors, with the rest of the town often laid out around it.
Many ààfin complexes include shrines and spaces for ancestral and royal rites alongside the Ọba's living quarters, reflecting how traditional Yorùbá kingship blends political authority with a spiritual and ceremonial role.
Example: Àwọn ọlọ́lá lọ sí ààfin láti kí ọba. — "The dignitaries went to the palace to greet the king."
Related words:
- Ọba — King
- Ìlú — Town