The ancient Benin City, which was located in present day Nigeria, was one of the first cities to have a semblance of street lighting. Huge metal lamps fueled by palm oil, a precursor to modern street lighting, lined the city’s streets. When the Portuguese first laid eyes on the city in the middle of the jungle, they classified it as one of the most beautiful, well designed cities in the world.
Lourenco Pinto, the captain of a Portuguese ship, observed in 1691: “Great Benin, where the King resides, is larger than Lisbon, all the streets run straight and as far as the eyes can see. The houses are large, especially that of the king which is richly decorated and has Fine columns. The city is wealthy and industrious. It is so well governed that theft is unknown and the people live in such Security that they have no door to their houses.”
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