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Great Ardra, also called Grand Ardra, or Allada, Ardres, Hardre, Ardrah, Arda, Arada or Arrada, was a West African kingdom historically located in part of what is now south Benin. The main city (capital) of the Kingdom, as well as a seaside port belonging to the kingdom, were also invariably called Allada, Ardra, Arda, Arada, Arrada, Ardres or Hardre. The Kingdom and the city of Allada were supposedly founded when a group of Aja migrants settled in the area in the 12th or 13th centuries.〔http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/world/benin-country-africa-history.html〕 Over the years, the village of Allada would become the capital of Great Ardra, a "state whose kings ruled with the consent of the elders of the people".〔 Great Ardra reached the peak of its power in the 16th and early 17th centuries. In the mid-sixteenth century, Arda had a population of about 30,000 people. ==Foundational legend== According to the Fon oral tradition, the Aja settlers that established in themselves in the area of present-day Allada arrived in southern Benin around the 12th or 13th centuries coming from Tado, on the Mono River. They established themselves in the area that currently corresponds to southern Benin, until circa 1600, when three brothers - Kokpon, Do-Aklin, and Te-Agdanlin - split the rule of the region amongst themselves: Kokpon took the capital city of Great Ardra, reigning over the Allada Kingdom, while his brother Do-Aklin founded Abomey (which would become capital of the Kingdom of Dahomey) and their brother Te-Agdanlin founded Little Ardra, also known as Ajatche, later called Porto Novo (literally, "New Port") by Portuguese traders (which is the current capital city of Benin). 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Great Ardra」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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