Zaria, Nigeria
Encyclopedia
Zaria is a major city in Kaduna State
in Northern Nigeria
, as well as being a Local Government Area. Formerly known as Zazzau, it was one of the original seven Hausa
city-states. The 2006 Census population was 408,198. The current Emir of Zazzau (Sarkin Zazau in Hausa language
) is Shehu Idris.
In the late 1450s, Islam arrived in Zaria by the way of its sister Habe cities, Kano
and Katsina
. Along with Islam, trade also flourished between the cities as traders brought camel caravans filled with salt in exchange for slaves and grain. Between the fifteenth and sixteenth century the kingdom became a tributary state of the Songhai Empire
. In 1805 it was captured by the Fulani
during the Fulani Jihad. British forces led by Frederick Lugard
took the city in 1901.
compounds. These two neighborhoods are predominately occupied by the indigenous Hausa. The neighborhoods of Samaru and Sabon Gari are predominately occupied by Nigerians of southern origin, such as the Ibo
. The largest marketplace is in Sabon Gari. Other more recent neighborhoods include: Danmagaji/Wusasa, PZ, Kongo, GRA-Zaria, Hanwa, Bassawa and Shikka.
, and cash crops include cotton
, groundnut
s and tobacco
. The city is considered by some to be a main center of Hausa agriculture. Not only is Zaria a market town for the surrounding area, it is the home of numerous artisans, from traditional crafts like leather work, dyeing
and cap making, to tinkers, printshops and furniture makers. Zaria is also the center of a textile industry that for over 200 years has made elaborately hand-embroidered robes that are worn by men throughout Nigeria and West Africa.
Because Zaria is north of the rail junction at Kaduna
, it has equal rail access to the seaports at Lagos
and Port Harcourt.
From 1914 to 1927, Zaria was the break-of-gauge
junction station for the Bauchi Light Railway
to the tin mines at Jos
.
, the largest university in Nigeria
and the second largest on the African continent. The institution is very prominent in the fields of Agriculture, Science, Finance, Medicine and Law.
Zaria is also the base for the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology
. National Research Institute for Chemical Technology.
Zaria is also home to Barewa College
. The school is known for the large number of elites from the region that passed through the school's academic buildings and counts among its alumni, five of whom were at one time Nigerian Heads of State, including the late president Umaru Musa Yar'Adua
.
Kaduna State
-History:The state is the successor to the old Northern Region of Nigeria, which had its capital at Kaduna. In 1967 this was split up into six states, one of which was the North-Central State, whose name was changed to Kaduna State in 1976. This was further divided in 1987, losing the area now part...
in Northern Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, as well as being a Local Government Area. Formerly known as Zazzau, it was one of the original seven Hausa
Hausa people
The Hausa are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. They are a Sahelian people chiefly located in northern Nigeria and southeastern Niger, but having significant numbers living in regions of Cameroon, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Chad and Sudan...
city-states. The 2006 Census population was 408,198. The current Emir of Zazzau (Sarkin Zazau in Hausa language
Hausa language
Hausa is the Chadic language with the largest number of speakers, spoken as a first language by about 25 million people, and as a second language by about 18 million more, an approximate total of 43 million people...
) is Shehu Idris.
History
Zaria, initially known as Zazau, was also the capital of the Hausa kingdom of Zazzau. However, human settlement predates the rise of Zazzau, as the region, like some of its neighbors, had a history of sedentary Hausa settlement, with institutional but pre-capitalist market exchange and farming.In the late 1450s, Islam arrived in Zaria by the way of its sister Habe cities, Kano
Kano
Kano is a city in Nigeria and the capital of Kano State in Northern Nigeria. Its metropolitan population is the second largest in Nigeria after Lagos. The Kano Urban area covers 137 sq.km and comprises six Local Government Area - Kano Municipal, Fagge, Dala, Gwale, Tarauni and Nassarawa - with a...
and Katsina
Katsina
Katsina is a city , and a Local Government Area in northern Nigeria, and is the capital of Katsina State. Katsina is located some 160 miles east of the city of Sokoto, and 84 miles northwest of Kano, close to the border with Niger. As of 2007, Katsina's estimated population was 459,022...
. Along with Islam, trade also flourished between the cities as traders brought camel caravans filled with salt in exchange for slaves and grain. Between the fifteenth and sixteenth century the kingdom became a tributary state of the Songhai Empire
Songhai Empire
The Songhai Empire, also known as the Songhay Empire, was a state located in western Africa. From the early 15th to the late 16th century, Songhai was one of the largest Islamic empires in history. This empire bore the same name as its leading ethnic group, the Songhai. Its capital was the city...
. In 1805 it was captured by the Fulani
Fula people
Fula people or Fulani or Fulbe are an ethnic group spread over many countries, predominantly in West Africa, but found also in Central Africa and Sudanese North Africa...
during the Fulani Jihad. British forces led by Frederick Lugard
Frederick Lugard
Frederick John Dealtry Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard GCMG, CB, DSO, PC , known as Sir Frederick Lugard between 1901 and 1928, was a British soldier, mercenary, explorer of Africa and colonial administrator, who was Governor of Hong Kong and Governor-General of Nigeria .-Early life and education:Lugard...
took the city in 1901.
Cityscape
The old part of the city, known as Birnin Zaria or Zaria-City, was originally surrounded by walls, which now have been mostly removed. The Emir's palace is located in the old city. In the old city and the adjacent Tudun Wada neighbourhood people typically reside in traditional adobeAdobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
compounds. These two neighborhoods are predominately occupied by the indigenous Hausa. The neighborhoods of Samaru and Sabon Gari are predominately occupied by Nigerians of southern origin, such as the Ibo
Igbo people
Igbo people, also referred to as the Ibo, Ebo, Eboans or Heebo are an ethnic group living chiefly in southeastern Nigeria. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects; today, a majority of them speak English alongside Igbo as a result of British colonialism...
. The largest marketplace is in Sabon Gari. Other more recent neighborhoods include: Danmagaji/Wusasa, PZ, Kongo, GRA-Zaria, Hanwa, Bassawa and Shikka.
Transport and economy
Zaria's economy is primarily based on agriculture. Staples are guinea corn and milletMillet
The millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...
, and cash crops include cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, groundnut
Peanut
The peanut, or groundnut , is a species in the legume or "bean" family , so it is not a nut. The peanut was probably first cultivated in the valleys of Peru. It is an annual herbaceous plant growing tall...
s and tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
. The city is considered by some to be a main center of Hausa agriculture. Not only is Zaria a market town for the surrounding area, it is the home of numerous artisans, from traditional crafts like leather work, dyeing
Dye
A dye is a colored substance that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied. The dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution, and requires a mordant to improve the fastness of the dye on the fiber....
and cap making, to tinkers, printshops and furniture makers. Zaria is also the center of a textile industry that for over 200 years has made elaborately hand-embroidered robes that are worn by men throughout Nigeria and West Africa.
Because Zaria is north of the rail junction at Kaduna
Kaduna
Kaduna is the state capital of Kaduna State in north-central Nigeria. The city, located on the Kaduna River, is a trade center and a major transportation hub for the surrounding agricultural areas with its rail and road junction. The population of Kaduna is at 760,084 as of the 2006 Nigerian census...
, it has equal rail access to the seaports at Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
and Port Harcourt.
From 1914 to 1927, Zaria was the break-of-gauge
Break-of-gauge
With railways, a break-of-gauge occurs where a line of one gauge meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and rolling stock cannot run through without some form of conversion between gauges, and freight and passengers must otherwise be transloaded...
junction station for the Bauchi Light Railway
Bauchi Light Railway
The Bauchi Light Railway was a narrow gauge railway built in 1914 to carry tin from Jos in Nigeria to the main line railway at Zaria. - History :...
to the tin mines at Jos
Jos
Jos is a city in the Middle Belt of Nigeria.The city has a population of about 1.5 million residents. Popularly called "J-town" or "Jesus Our Saviour" by the residents, it is the administrative capital of Plateau State....
.
Education
Zaria is home to Ahmadu Bello UniversityAhmadu Bello University
Ahmadu Bello University is the largest university in Nigeria and second largest in Africa, second only to Cairo University, Egypt. It is situated in Zaria. It was founded on October 4, 1962 as the University of Northern Nigeria....
, the largest university in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
and the second largest on the African continent. The institution is very prominent in the fields of Agriculture, Science, Finance, Medicine and Law.
Zaria is also the base for the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology
Nigerian College of Aviation Technology
The Nigerian College of Aviation Technology is a higher education institute in Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria.It is funded by the Civil Aviation Department in the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Aviation....
. National Research Institute for Chemical Technology.
Zaria is also home to Barewa College
Barewa College
Barewa College is a college in Zaria, Kaduna State, northern Nigeria. Founded in 1922 by British Governor General Hugh Clifford, it was originally known as "Katsina College." It switched its name to "Kaduna College" in 1938 and then "Government College, Zaria" in 1949 before settling on "Barewa...
. The school is known for the large number of elites from the region that passed through the school's academic buildings and counts among its alumni, five of whom were at one time Nigerian Heads of State, including the late president Umaru Musa Yar'Adua
Umaru Musa Yar'Adua
Umaru Musa Yar'Adua was the President of Nigeria and the 13th Head of State. He served as governor of Katsina State in northern Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 28 May 2007. He was declared the winner of the controversial Nigerian presidential election held on 21 April 2007, and was sworn in on 29 May...
.
Notable births and residents
Notable births and current and former residents of Zaria include:- Shola AmeobiShola AmeobiFoluwashola "Shola" Ameobi is an Nigerian footballer who plays for Premier League club Newcastle United as a forward. Born in Nigeria but raised in Newcastle, he played for England at under-21 level. He is the older brother of fellow footballers Tomi and Sammy...
, football player in EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... - D'banjD'banjDapo Daniel Oyebanjo , is a Nigerian singer-songwriter and harmonica player. He has won several music awards including the awards for Best African Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2007, Artist of the Year at the MTV Africa Music Awards 2009. and BET Awards of 2011 for Best International Act; Africa...
, music artist - Edoheart, musician, poet, dancer
- Bola IgeBola IgeJames Ajibola Idowu Ige simply known as Bola Ige was a Nigerian lawyer and politician. He became Federal Minister of Justice for Nigeria...
, lawyer and politician - Rilwanu LukmanRilwanu LukmanRilwanu Lukman is a Nigerian engineer who held several ministerial positions in the Nigerian Federal government before becoming Secretary General of OPEC from 1 January 1995 to 31 December 2000...
, engineer and former Secretary General of OPEC - Rumun NdurRumun NdurRumun Ndur is a Nigerian-born Canadian professional ice hockey player.- Career :He has played in the NHL for the Buffalo Sabres, the New York Rangers, and the Atlanta Thrashers. Ndur is also the first Nigerian-born player ever to play in the NHL...
, professional ice hockey player - Adewale OlukojuAdewale OlukojuAdewale Olukoju is a Nigerian athlete who competed in discus throw and shot put. He was very prominent in African athletics in the late 1980s and early 1990s, winning four gold medals in total at the All-Africa Games....
, athlete - Isaac Promise, football player
- Namadi Sambo, Vice President of Nigeria since May 2010
- Masai UjiriMasai UjiriMasai Ujiri is the general manager of the Denver Nuggets of the NBA. A native of Zaria, Nigeria, he is the first African-born general manager for an American major league sports team....
, general manager of the Denver Nuggets of the NBA