Visiting the famous Mbula Rock

A rock with a  history of human habitation, a 100-year-old mosque as well as a mysterious locked  door, are some of the sights worth visiting if you  are in Dass, Bauchi State. Mbula, a famous rocky range in Dass, headquarters of Dass Local Government, towers over its skyline. Dass, headquarters of Dass Emirate, in Bauchi […]

A rock with a  history of human habitation, a 100-year-old mosque as well as a mysterious locked  door, are some of the sights worth visiting if you  are in Dass, Bauchi State.

Mbula, a famous rocky range in Dass, headquarters of Dass Local Government, towers over its skyline.
Dass, headquarters of Dass Emirate, in Bauchi State has one of the richest historical landmarks and tourism sites in the state.
The majestic rock which almost encircles the town provides a unique scenery of a community which has lived between a tall, rocky enclave for ages.
Standing at 4100 feet  above sea level, the Mbula Rock which could be seen several kilometers away when one approaches  Dass from any side, is a sight to behold as one draws  closer to the town.
It’s sheer size makes  houses and other buildings in the town appear like toys. A big boulder on ‘Mbula’ could match the size of an average house in the town.
With towering peaks and rocky boulders covered with trees, the Mbula Rock looks like a forest dotted with rocks, as there is a fairly thick vegetation on the rock comprising of small and big trees. The Mbula Rock covers about 50 percent of the entire sides of Dass town in a semicircle.
According to history, the first people who settled at the foot of the rock migrated from the Kanem Bornu Empire. However, this  was narrated by a palace historian, Sadiq Yusuf ,who said that when they arrived, there were primitive people who inhabited  the lower parts of Mbula Rock.
“The first people who settled here came from Kanem Bornu Empire. After several stop overs and living in many places, they finally came here and settled. They chose this location to protect themselves from invasion, because the Mbula mountain serves as a natural formidable fortress,”he said.
He said that signs of the primitive dwellings are still visible in many places on the rock, which shows their way  of life and how the people  lived in their primitive dwellings on the rock, in caves and other habitable places.
He said that Mbula mountain provided sustenance to the primitive people who found all their needs on and around them, because of the abundance of edible plants and animals which they lived on to survive.
The early settlement according to him thrived  for hundreds of years until the arrival of other settlers ,who founded ‘Tsohon Gari’ or the ‘Old Settlement’ ,which was the precursor to present day Dass town.
These later settlers according to Yusuf were led by a person named Mumini, and they were the ones who migrated from Kanem Bornu and settled close to the Mbula Rock.
A Mosque was later built by the inhabitants in 1841. The inhabitants who were mostly Muslims however lived with  neighbours who were adherents of traditional religious practices.
Yusuf said that Mbula Mountain has a popular waterfall call ‘Pambi’ and the people of the town still observe a ‘Rock Climbing’ festival every year ,and even women and children participate.
However, any stranger who wants to climb the Mbula Mountain must have the consent of the Emirate ,who are the custodians of the culture and traditions of the area.
“You know it’s like coming to a man’s house. You can’t just gatecrash, you must have the consent of the owner of the house. The traditional institution knows everything about the rocks, and one must be instructed on the dos and donts. Any stranger who wants to climb must have a guide because the natives know where to go and where not to, and they know the animals that will be dangerous and others that won’t harm a person,”he added.
The present Emir of Dass, Alhaji Othman Bilyaminu Othman succeeded his father, and gave permission to this reporter and others to go to Mbula Rock and other places.
A popular song by late Hausa singer, Musa Dankwairo described an imaginary war time scene at the mountain which depicts the mysteries of Mbula Rock.
The song which he sang in praise of late Emir Bilyaminu Othman depicts the bond and affinity of the Mbula Rock to the history of Dass Emirate ,and the role it played in protecting the town against invaders ,by serving as a fortress where most of the battles are fought and won by the people of Dass.
Such renditions by the famous singer attributes a great mysterious influence of the Mbula rock and its historical  importance to the people of Dass emirate.
Paintings of the rock form the central theme of the Dass Emirate’s insignia, as it’s huge painting adorned the palace of the emir directly behind the throne and it is on the emirate’s flag.
The rock is being visited by tourists and other curious people from far and near and  is one of the many tourism attractions in Bauchi State, which is home to the popular Yankari Game Reserve and Sumu Park.
The 100 year old Mosque
Right at the foot of the mountain stands the Mosque built in 1841 by early Muslim settlers in Dass.
The mosque which still maintains it’s typical traditional northern architectural design, has undergone renovations over time to repair structural defects.
With its modest design and small courtyard for people who will pray outside, it’s mud brick wall covered by the shade from the trees nearby, the mosque’s  existence tells a history of its own.
The mosque shows the life which thrives till date in Dass, where despite having adherents of different religions, the community maintains it’s peace even in turbulent times.
The Colonial Treasury/ Administrative Building
Located close to the ancient Mosque is the Colonial Treasury Building which was built in 1923 by the colonial masters.The stone building according to Yusuf serves as the Bauchi/Dass Province Native Authority Liason, as well as the treasury, where revenues and levies collected from neighbouring areas were gathered for onward delivery.
The building has a short wall surrounding it. It has two adjacent rooms which served as offices for the colonial officers who worked there.In one of the rooms, there is a Black metal door which looks like an entrance to an old Bank’s Vault, or a big safe for keeping money and other valuable items and documents.
Although it’s roofing has been replaced to shield the interior from rain, but the building remains solid, typical of other colonial era building scattered across Nigeria.
It has however lost most of its doors and windows to vandals who removed them to sell or use in their homes.
Such colonial era buildings have endured  the forces of nature overtime, some are abandoned while others have been converted to serve other purposes because of their durability.
The Mystery Door
However, one mysterious door still remains intact, and it’s strong metal frame and surface has defied efforts at being opened to know what is hidden inside. It’s strong iron surface has small keyholes but the keys are missing, which adds to the myths surrounding it, prompting several attempts to get at the secrets it holds. The door which has two holes for keys, looks like a door to a strong room where important documents and other valuables were kept by the colonial masters at the time. The other room has a small toilet which served  the colonial officials.
It was learnt that there have been many attempts to break the door open, but all these have been to no avail as it has defied all tools tried on it. Others however believe that the door is an old safe made of solid metal and reinforced with concrete, and built into the walls of the building to avoid removal.