Oba Market at Ring Road is Benin City's central marketplace — a large, chaotic, and thoroughly alive open-air market where you can find almost anything. Produce, textiles, phone accessories, building materials, traditional medicine, and cooked food all have their sections. The market reflects the commercial energy of a city that has been a trading hub for centuries.
For visitors, the market is an experience in itself regardless of what you buy. The best sections for travellers are the areas selling traditional crafts, carved wooden objects, and Edo textiles. Bronze reproductions of Benin style artwork — clearly marked as reproductions — are available and make legitimate souvenirs. Prices are negotiable; having a local accompany you will ease both the haggling and the navigation. Go in the morning when it is busiest and most atmospheric.