Zaria

Zaria, historically Zazzau, is one of the old Hausa city states, enclosed by earth walls with gates, and it retains a working old city around the emir's palace. Its architectural distinction is the Friday mosque built in the early nineteenth century by Muhammadu Babba Zaria and the master builder Mallam Mikhaila Babban Gwani, whose interior is spanned by mud vaults and arches built without timber over long spans, decorated with the incised and moulded patterns of Hausa building tradition; it is regarded as the outstanding example of the style. Zaria is also a university city, home to Ahmadu Bello University and its art school, which has shaped modern Nigerian art since the 1950s.

History

Zaria, first called Zazzau, was the capital of the Hausa kingdom of Zazzau, thought to have been founded in or about 1536 and renamed in the late 16th century after Queen Amina's sister, Zaria. It was the southernmost of the Hausa city-states and a destination for Saharan caravans, and Islam reached it in the late 1450s by way of Kano and Katsina (Wikipedia, Zaria).

What's there

• The Friday mosque - the mud-vaulted interior and its decoration.
• The emir's palace - the compound at the centre of the old city.
• Hausa mud architecture - the incised and moulded wall decoration.
• The university - Ahmadu Bello and its art school tradition.

When to go

November to February during the harmattan, when temperatures are bearable, though haze is heavy. Mosque visiting outside prayer times only and at the imam's discretion. Summer heat is severe.

Practical notes

Access to the mosque interior for non-Muslims is not guaranteed and depends on who is present. Modest dress is expected throughout the old city. Much of the wall circuit has eroded. There is little visitor infrastructure.

Nearby

Kaduna lies south; Kano is northeast.

Key facts