Zuma Rock: Myths surrounding this great mountain

The magnificence of Zuma rock cannot be described with words. But it can be said that, in its presence, the smallness of man is made visible.

An igneous intrusion composed of gabbro and granodiorite, Zuma Rock is located in Niger state, Nigeria

Here’s why this rock of our forefathers is surrounded by myth and legends.

1. The rock catches fire during the rainy season

Between April and October, natives report that the apex of the rock often catches fire. They attest the happenings to the wonders of the deities and voodoo.

However, Dr. Kistso Ngargbu, a geologist and lecturer at Nasarawa State University, Keffi, notes that: “If it is after rainfall and a particular boulder or broken pieces of the rock got saturated with water, that’s the contact between heat and the main rock body.

In the event that it had to slide because water now serves as a lubricating surface, friction is created. We should remember that our forefathers used to make fire from rocks glided against each other.

That is what could have happened. Rain water got to the surface, lubricated the boulder and then generated a sliding probably based on a sloppy surface, and in the event of sliding down the fire came up”.

ALSO READ:137 Nigerian tribes and where you can find them

2. It is said that in those days, a clear audible strange sound of door opening and closing is sometimes heard. And whenever this happens, the news about the death of a well-known person is heard.

3. It is also believed that Zuma Rock is sitting on a very large source of underground water-- that if the rock is pulled down, the water that will come out of it shall submerge an unimaginable expanse of land.

4. It has facial features

Zuma Rock has contours on the surface which depicts the image of a human with visible mouth, eyes, and nose. The natives of the community believe the face represents the deity and ancestral powers protecting and governing the affairs of the community.