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| Image of Queen Amina of the Zazzau Kingdom of West Africa |
Queen Amina (also known every bit Queen Aminatu), was the elderberry immature lady of Queen Bakwa Turunku, the founder of the Zazzau Kingdom inwards 1536. Some scholars appointment Queen Amina's reign to close 1549, every bit heir apparent afterwards the decease of her mother. This medieval African kingdom was located inwards the percentage straight off known every bit the Kaduna State inwards the north-central percentage of Nigeria, working capital alphabetic lineament at the modern metropolis of Zaria. Zaria (aka
Birnin Zaria) was named afterwards Queen Amina's younger sis Zariya, and is where the Royal Palace of Zaria resided.
The earliest commentator to cite Queen Amina is Muhammed Bello's history
Ifaq al-Maysur, composed roughly 1836. Queen Amina is too mentioned inwards the
Kano Chronicle, a well-regarded in addition to detailed history of the metropolis of Kano in addition to the surrounding Hausa people. It was composed inwards the slow 19th century in addition to incorporated before oral histories before the Fulani jihad of 1804-1810. It included king-lists of the diverse Hausa kingdoms.
Known every bit a corking military machine strategist, the cavalry-trained Queen Amina fought many wars that expanded this southern-most Hausa kingdom. According to the
Sankore Institute of Islamic - African Studies International, a non-profit, non-political educational institution, reporting on this percentage of the Hausa:
These 7 regions witnessed many odd in addition to foreign events. The commencement to constitute authorities amid them, every bit it has been claimed, was Amina, the immature lady of the Amir of Zakzak. She made military machine assaults upon these lands until she proclaimed herself over them past times force. The lands of Katsina in addition to Kano were forced to manus over levy to her. She too made incursions into the lands of Bauchi until she reached the Atlantic Ocean to the due south in addition to west. She died inwards a house called Attaagar. It was for this argue that the kingdom of Zakzak was the most extensive amid the kingdoms of Hausa, since Bauchi included many regions.
Here, it appears that Zakzak is Zazzau, in addition to the reference is to Queen Amina.
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| Public sculpture of the warrior Queen Amina inwards Nigeria |
Queen Amina is a legend amid the Hausa people for her military machine exploits. She controlled the merchandise routes inwards the region, erecting a network of commerce inside the corking earthen walls that surrounded Hausa cities inside her dominion. According to the Kano Chronicle, she conquered every bit far every bit Nupe in addition to Kwarafa, ruling for 34 years.
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| Commemorative postage stamp of Queen of Amina of Zaria. | |
By 1805, the percentage was captured past times the Fulani during the Fulani jihad. By 1901, Frederick Lugard led British forces in addition to captured Zaria every bit a protectorate state. This is the same twelvemonth that it is reported that Zaria sought British protection against slave raids from the Kontagora region. After a Zaria magaji (representative) murdered the British Captain Moloney inwards 1902 at Keffi, the British stripped the emirate of most of its vassal states. Since Nigeria's independence from the British inwards 1960, Zaria is i of its largest traditional emirates.
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| Photo: Gate to the palace of the emir of Zazzau |
Zaria metropolis was originally surrounded past times walls built past times Queen Amina, but those walls bring since been removed. The to a higher house shown entrance is to the palace of the
Emir of Zazzau. The emir counsels over a percentage larger than the metropolis of Zaria. Despite the rising of the nation-states inwards Africa, the emirs exert meaning ability inside the percentage in addition to represents the continuation of the traditional leadership of the historical kingdom-states.
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| Photo: community inwards metropolis of Zaria, representing traditional Hausa architecture inwards Africa. |
Zaria is habitation to Ahmadu Bello University, the largest academy inwards Nigeria in addition to the 2nd largest academy on the African continent. The academy is really prominent inwards the fields of Agriculture, Science, Finance, Medicine in addition to Law.
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