History of Ado - Awaye
Ado Awaye was founded in 1500 AD. The Alaafin of Oyo’s crown prince, Koyi, who was supposed to become the Alaafin was denied and his younger brother, Onigbogi, took over. In anger, he left Oyo with one of his father’s crowns and decided to go and settle in Otta, his mother’s town.
However, he went through plain grounds until he got foot of the Ado Hill, where he saw a smoke. He climbed the mountain and there, he met some escapees from the Dahomey war. Having agreed and discussed with them, they decided to make him King of Ado.
Highlight of features that makes Ado-Awaye a wonderful and exciting town.
1. Iyake Lake
Iyake Lake is the only recognized suspended/hanging lake in Africa – one of the only two in the world after the Hanging Lake in Colorado. It has been named as one of the fascinating sites to visit in Nigeria as well as one of the seven wonders of Nigeria.
It is said to be bottomless and have swallowed those who have tried to measure its depth. Till today, whoever enters the lake never comes out of it. It is said to be the main god of fertility of the Mountain. The villagers believe that beneath the lake exists another world that looks like the earth, and whoever transits into that world by diving into the lake will never return.
2. Agbómofúnyàké
Agbómofúnyàké literally means “collects child and gives to iyake”. This little hole is located just beside the iyake lake. It is believed that, whenever the hole has water in it, whoever puts his leg into it gets dragged to the bottom of iyake lake.
3. Ìyá-Aláró Lake
It is also one of the numerous lakes on the mountain. The lake was named after an old woman in the Ado-Awaye village, who specializes in dying of clothes. It is said that the old woman, known as “Iya Alaro”, worships the lakes and sacrifices to it at specific times during the year.
The lake is characterized by a gloomy depth which underscores its association with Iya Alaro and its surface and surrounding is bedeck

HISTORY OF IYAKE SUSPENDED LAKE
The Iyake Suspended lake is one of the two Suspended lakes in the world; the Iyake Suspended lake resides at the Ado Hill, in Ado Awaye, Iseyen Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria while the other Suspended Lake which is presumed as man-made resides in Colorado, USA. The Iyake Suspended lake is one that is bottomless (the depth of it has not been discovered), it was a lake that has existed for ages; it was a lake named after a woman who was barren and was mocked by the ancient people of Ado Awaye.

Out of frustrations, she climbed the Ado hill and found a lake at the heart of the Ado hill; she went to the lake and fell inside; she eventually drowned and was not seen till date. The lake was named Iyake which means the "The Woman that cried"; ever since then no one has tried to establish the depth of the lake as the white man that tried to establish the depth of the lake was not seen thereafter. The Iyake Suspended lake is the heritage of the Ado Awaye people and a tourist center/ for Africa people