History
In the 7th century,
Dala Hill, a residual hill in Kano, was the site of a hunting and gathering community that engaged in iron work; it is unknown whether these were Hausa people or speakers of
Niger–Congo languages.
[2] Kano was originally known as Dala, after the hill, and was referred to as such as late as the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th by
Bornoansources.
[3]
The
Kano Chronicle identifies
Barbushe, a priest of a Dala Hill spirit, as the city's first settler. (Elizabeth Isichei notes that the description of Barbushe is similar to those of
Sao people.
[4]) While small chiefdoms were previously present in the area, according to the Kano Chronicle,
Bagauda, a grandson of the mythical hero
Bayajidda,
[5] became the first king of Kano in 999, reigning until 1063.
[6][7] His grandson
Gijimasu (1095–1134), the third king, began building city walls at the foot of Dala Hill. His own son,
Tsaraki (1136–1194), the fifth king, completed them during his reign.
[7]
In the 12th century
Ali Yaji as King of Kano renounced his allegiance to the cult of Tsumburbura, accepted Islam and proclaimed the Sultanate that was to last until its fall in the 19th century. The reign of
Yaji ensued an era of expansionism that saw Kano becoming the capital of a pseudo Habe Empire.
In 1463
Muhammad Rumfa (reigned 1463- 1499) ascended the throne. During his reign, political pressure from the rising
Songhai Empire forced him to take
Auwa, the daughter of
Askiyah the Great as his wife. She was to later become the first female
Madaki of Kano.
Rumfa reformed the city, expanded the
Sahelian Gidan Rumfa (Emir's Palace), and played a role in the further Islamization of the city,
[8] as he urged prominent residents to convert.
[9] The Kano Chronicle attributes a total of twelve "innovations" to Rumfa.
[10]
Fulani conquest and rule
Kano History Museum constructed in the distinctive Hausa architectural style.
At the beginning of the 19th century,
Fulani Islamic leader
Usman dan Fodio led a
jihad affecting much of central Sudan, leading to the emergence of the
Sokoto Caliphate. In 1805 the last sultan of Kano was defeated by the Jobe Clan of the Fulani, and Kano became an Emirate of the Caliphate. Kano was the largest and most prosperous province of the empire.
[11] This was one of the last major slave societies, with high percentages of enslaved population long after the
Atlantic slave trade had been cut off.
Heinrich Barth, a German scholar who spent several years in northern Nigeria in the 1850s, estimated the percentage of slaves in Kano to be at least 50%, most of whom lived in slave villages.
The city suffered famines from 1807–10, in the 1830s, 1847, 1855, 1863, 1873, 1884, and from 1889 until 1890.
From 1893 until 1895, two rival claimants for the throne fought a civil war, or
Basasa. With the help of royal slaves,
Yusufu was victorious over
Tukur and claimed the title of emir.
[13]
British colonization and rule[edit]
In March, 1903 after a scanty resistance, the Fort of Kano was captured by the British, It quickly replaced
Lokoja as the administrative centre of
Northern Nigeria. It was replaced as the centre of government by
Zungeru and later
Kaduna and only regained administrative significance with the creation of Kano State following Nigerian independence.
From 1913 to 1914, as the
peanut business was expanding, Kano suffered a major
drought, which caused a famine.
[14] Other famines during British rule occurred in 1908, 1920, 1927, 1943, 1951, 1956, and 1958.
In May 1953, an inter-ethnic riot arose due to southern newspapers misreporting on the nature of a disagreement between northern and southern politicians in the
House of Representatives.
[16] Thousands of Nigerians of southern origin died as a result of the riot.
[17]
Post-independence history
Kano neighborhood (1995).
Ado Bayero became emir of Kano in 1963. Kano state was created in 1967 from the then Northern Nigeria by the Federal military government. The first military police commissioner,
Audu Bako, is credited with building a solid foundation for the progress of a modern society. Most of the social amenities in the state are credited to him.
[citation needed] The first civilian governor was
Abubakar Rimi.
In December 1980, radical preacher
Mohammed Marwa Maitatsine led riots in Kano. He was killed by security forces, but his followers later started
uprisings in other northern cities.
After the introduction of
sharia in Kano State in 2000, many Christians left the city.
[19] 100 people were killed in riots over the sharia issue during October 2001.
In November 2007, political violence broke out in the city after the
People's Democratic Party (PDP) accused the
All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) of rigging the November 17 local government elections. (The ANPP won in 36 of the state's 44 local Government Areas.) Hundreds of youths took to the streets, over 300 of whom were arrested; at least 25 people were killed. Buildings set on fire include a sharia police station, an Islamic centre, and a council secretariat. 280 federal soldiers were deployed around the city.
In January 2012
a series of bomb attacks in Kano killed up to 162 people. Four police stations, the
State Security Service headquarters, passport offices and immigration centres were attacked. Militants of the
Boko Haram claimed responsibility. After the bombings, Kano was placed under curfew.
Geography
Kano is 481 meters (or about 1580 feet) above sea level. The city lies to the north of the
Jos Plateau, in the
Sudanian Savanna region that stretches across the south of the
Sahel. The city lies near where the
Kano and Challawa rivers flowing from the southwest converge to form the
Hadejia River, which eventually flows into
Lake Chad to the east.
Climate
The region features
savanna vegetation and a hot,
semi-arid climate. Kano sees on average about 690 mm (27.2 in) of precipitation per year, the bulk of which falls from June through September. Kano is typically very hot throughout the year, though from December through February, the city is noticeably cooler. Nighttime temperatures are cool during the months of December, January and February, with average low temperatures of 11°-14 °C.
| [hide]Climate data for kano |
|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|
| Average high °C (°F) | 30.1
(86.2) | 33.1
(91.6) | 36.9
(98.4) | 38.2
(100.8) | 36.7
(98.1) | 34.0
(93.2) | 31.0
(87.8) | 29.0
(84.2) | 31.0
(87.8) | 34.0
(93.2) | 33.2
(91.8) | 31.1
(88) | 33.19
(91.76) |
|---|
| Average low °C (°F) | 13.0
(55.4) | 15.0
(59) | 19.0
(66.2) | 23.6
(74.5) | 24.0
(75.2) | 22.8
(73) | 21.8
(71.2) | 20.9
(69.6) | 20.9
(69.6) | 18.9
(66) | 15.8
(60.4) | 13.0
(55.4) | 19.06
(66.29) |
|---|
| Rainfall mm (inches) | 0.0
(0) | 0.3
(0.012) | 1.6
(0.063) | 11.6
(0.457) | 49.6
(1.953) | 118.2
(4.654) | 173.8
(6.843) | 228.0
(8.976) | 103.1
(4.059) | 10.2
(0.402) | 0.0
(0) | 0.0
(0) | 696.4
(27.419) |
|---|
| Avg. rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 3.9 | 8.0 | 13.0 | 14.0 | 8.3 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 49.5 |
|---|
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 244.9 | 234.5 | 238.7 | 234.0 | 263.5 | 261.0 | 229.4 | 220.1 | 240.0 | 266.6 | 264.0 | 260.4 | 2,957.1 |
|---|
| Source: Hong Kong Observatory (sun only)[27] |
Demographics
Kano is largely Muslim. The majority of Kano Muslims are
Sunni, though a minority adhere to the
Shia branch (see
Shia in Nigeria). Christians and followers of other non-Muslim religions form a small part of the population and traditionally lived in the
Sabon Gari, or Foreign Quarter.
Transportation
Kano municipal council gate (2009)
Kano is strategically located and owns its leading position as commercial hub in the sub-Saharan Africa. Kano is linked to many African cities by road. Fleets of trucks and buses and other link it with many cities in Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Republic of Benin.
After a hiatus of many years, the
railway line from Kano to
Lagos was rehabilitated by 2013. The train trip to Lagos takes 30 hours and costs the equivalent of
US$12, only a quarter of the equivalent bus fare.
In 2014, a new double track, standard gauge line is under construction from
Lagos.
Economy
Elaborately dressed horseman returns after paying tribute to the emir of Kano during the Durbar of October 2006
The economic significance of Kano dates back to the pre-colonial
Africa when Kano city served as the southernmost point of the famous
trans-Sahara trade routes. Kano was well connected with many cities in North Africa and some cities in southern
Europe. The products exported from Kano to north Africa include textile materials, leather and grains. Kano was connected with
trans-Atlantic trade in 1911 when a railway line reached Kano. Kano is a major centre for the production and export of agricultural products like hides and skins,
peanuts, and cotton. Kano houses the
Bayero University and a
railway station with trains to Lagos routed through Kaduna, while
Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport lies nearby. Because Kano is north of the rail junction at Kaduna, it has equal access to the seaports at Lagos and
Port Harcourt. The city maintains its economic and business even in the 21st century with it producing the richest black man —
Aliko Dangote — whose great great father
Alhassan Dantata was the richest during Nigeria's colonial period.
Formerly
walled, most of the gates to the Old City survive. The Old City houses the vast
Kurmi Market, known for its
crafts, while old dye pits — still in use — lie nearby. In the Old City are the Emir's Palace, the
Great Mosque, and the Gidan Makama Mosque.
The city is supplied with water by the nearby
Challawa Gorge Dam, which is being considered as a source of hydro power.
The airline
Kabo Air has its head office in the city.
Durbar Festival
The emir of Kano hosts a
Durbar to mark and celebrate the two annual Muslim festivals
Eid-ul-Fitr (to mark the end of the Holy Month of
Ramadan) and
Eid al-Adha(to mark
the Hajj Holy Pilgrimage). The Durbar culminates in a procession of highly elaborately dressed horsemen who pass through the city to the emir's palace. Once assembled near the palace, groups of horsemen, each group representing a nearby village, take it in turns to charge toward the emir, pulling up just feet in front of the seated dignitaries to offer their respect and allegiance.
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