Zinder

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Zinder

Zinder (which is locally called Damagaram) is the second largest city in Niger

Niger

Niger , officially the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east....
, with a population of 170,574 (2002 census) by 2005 was estimated to be over 200,000. It is situated 535 miles east of the capital Niamey

Niamey

Niamey, population 674,950 , is the Capital of Niger. It is Niger's largest city, lying on the Niger River, mostly on the east bank. It is an administrative, cultural and economic center....
and 149 miles north of the Nigerian city

Nigeria

Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federation constitutional republic comprising States of Nigeria and one Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria....
of Kano

Kano

Kano is the administrative center of the Kano State and the third largest city in Nigeria, in terms of geographical size, after Ibadan and Lagos....
.

er rose from a small Hausa village to an important center of the Trans-Saharan trade

Trans-Saharan trade

Trans-Saharan trade is trade across the Sahara between Mediterranean countries and sub-Saharan Africa. While existing from prehistoric times, the peak of such trade extended from the eighth century until the late sixteenth century....
with the founding of the Sultanate of Damagaram

Sultanate of Damagaram

The Sultanate of Damagaram was a powerful pre-colonial state in what is now southeastern Niger, centered on the city of Zinder....
in 1736 by Kanouri aristocrats.

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Encyclopedia

Zinder (which is locally called Damagaram) is the second largest city in Niger

Niger

Niamey

Nigeria

Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federation constitutional republic comprising States of Nigeria and one Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria....
of Kano

Kano

Kano is the administrative center of the Kano State and the third largest city in Nigeria, in terms of geographical size, after Ibadan and Lagos....
.

History

Zinder rose from a small Hausa village to an important center of the Trans-Saharan trade

Trans-Saharan trade

Sultanate of Damagaram

The Sultanate of Damagaram was a powerful pre-colonial state in what is now southeastern Niger, centered on the city of Zinder....
in 1736 by Kanouri aristocrats. The large fortress of the souteast central city (Birini) was built shortly thereafter, and became a major hub for trade south through Kano

Kano

Kano is the administrative center of the Kano State and the third largest city in Nigeria, in terms of geographical size, after Ibadan and Lagos....
and east to Bornu

Bornu

Bornu may refer to:* Bornu Empire, a historical state of West Africa* Borno State, Nigeria...
. The Tuareg

Tuareg

The Tuareg are a nomadic pastoralist people. They are the principal inhabitants of the Saharan interior of North Africa. They call themselves variously Kel Tamasheq or Kel Tamajaq , Imuhagh, Imazaghan or Imashaghen , or Kel Tagelmust, i.e., "People of the Veil"....
encampments and trade houses of the Hausa town (Zengou) expanded with this trade. The French conquered the city in 1899, and placed the capitol of the new Niger Military Territory there in 1911. In 1926, following fears of Hausa revolts and improving relations with the Djerma

Djerma

The Djerma, also spelled Zerma, Zarma, Dyerma, or Zaberma, are a people of westernmost Niger and adjacent areas of Burkina Faso and Nigeria with small pockets living in urban areas of northern Ghana....
of the west, the capitol was transferred back to the village of Niamey

Niamey

Niamey, population 674,950 , is the Capital of Niger. It is Niger's largest city, lying on the Niger River, mostly on the east bank. It is an administrative, cultural and economic center....
.

The town today

Today, Zinder comprises three main areas. Birni, the old town, is home to Zinder Great Mosque and the Zinder Sultan's Palace, as well as a museum

Museum

A museum is a "permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment, for the purposes of education, study, and entertainment", as defined by the International Coun...
. Zengou, the old Hausa

Hausa people

The Hausa are a Sahelian people chiefly located in the West Africa regions of northern Nigeria and southeastern Niger. There are also significant numbers found in regions of Sudan, Cameroon, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, and Chad and smaller communities scattered throughout West Africa and on the traditional Hajj route across the Sahara Desert and Sa...
settlement, is known for its vernacular architecture

Vernacular architecture

Vernacular architecture is a term used to categorise methods of construction which use locally available resources and traditions to address local needs....
. Sabon Gari
Sabon Gari

A Sabon Gari is a section of cities and town in Northern Nigeria and south central Niger whose residents are not indigenous to Hausa lands....
(the new town), between Birni and Zengou, is the commercial centre, known for its large market. The city now sprawls to the north and west, extending to the Karkada section, in the north. Other neighborhoods include Garin Mallam and Gawon Kollia.

The city has many distinctive granite rocks which can result in standing water during the rainy season, though the city has a long history of water shortages. Recently water was piped by a Chinese-owned company from the north to provide water to most of the city, however, this problem is likely to continue due to expected population growth.

Zinder Airport

Zinder Airport

Zinder Airport is an airport near Zinder, Niger.External links...
(code: ZND) is located a few miles to the southwest of the town.

External links

. Les Centres Culturels franco-nigériens. Ambassade de France à Niamey.
: Photos from December 2000 taken in old quarter and the sultan's palace in Zinder.