Zaria facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Zaria Birnin Zaria
City in Nigeria
Gate to the palace of the Emir of Zazzau
Flag
Nickname(s):  Zazzau
Motto(s):  Birnin Ilimi
Zaria Location in Nigeria
Country	Nigeria
State	Kaduna State
City	Zaria, Nigeria
Area
• Total	563 km2 (217 sq mi)
Population  (2023)
• Total	766,007
• Density	1,360.6/km2 (3,523.9/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (WAT)
Climate	Aw

Zaria is a large city in Nigeria. It is located in Kaduna State. Zaria is the capital of the Zazzau Emirate Council. It is also one of the original seven Hausa city-states.

The city includes Nigeria's largest university, Ahmadu Bello University. It also has other important schools. These include the Federal College of Education and the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology.

In 2006, about 736,000 people lived in Zaria. The city is home to the Emir of Zazzau, who is a traditional ruler.

History of Zaria

Guard at the palace of the emir

Zaria was first known as Zazzau. It was the capital of the Hausa kingdom of Zazzau. People think Zazzau was founded around 1536. Later, in the late 1500s, it was renamed Zaria. This name came from Queen Amina's sister. People lived in this area long before Zazzau was founded. They were Hausa people who farmed and traded.

Zaria was the southernmost of the Hausa city-states. It was an important trading stop for caravans from the Sahara Desert. It was also a major center for the slave trade. In the late 1450s, Islam came to Zaria. It arrived through nearby Hausa cities like Kano and Katsina. Along with Islam, trade grew between the cities. Traders brought salt by camel and exchanged it for slaves and grain.

Zaria's power was strongest under Queen Amina. Her army conquered many areas. These included the kingdoms of Kano and Katsina. After Queen Amina's death in the late 1500s, Zaria came under the control of the Jukun Kingdom. It later became a state that paid tribute to the Songhai Empire. In 1805, the Fulani captured Zaria during the Fulani Jihad. British forces, led by Frederick Lugard, took control of the city in 1901.

Emir of Zazzau AMB. Alh. Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli

City Life and Buildings

Children playing in one of the streets of Zaria

The old part of Zaria is called Birnin Zazzau or Zaria City. It used to have walls and a fortress around it. Most of these walls are now gone. The Emir's palace is located in this old city. In the old city and the nearby Tudun Wada area, people often live in traditional adobe compounds. These are buildings made of clay. Most people in these areas are native Hausa speakers.

Zaria has many different kinds of buildings. You can see traditional clay buildings in the Hausa style. Next to them are modern, tall university and government buildings.

The silk-cotton tree is a very large tree in the Zazzau emirate. This tree has been important to the spiritual and economic life of people in Zaria. Especially for the people of Anguwan Kahu, who make special horse coverings called Kahu. They make these for the Emirs and other leaders. The scientific name for the silk-cotton tree is Ceiba pentandra.

Anguwan Kahu was known as a business area. People there used cotton to make local mattresses, pillows, and horse shirts. The Wakilin Kahu Zazzau is the leader of the Anguwan Kahu people. He represents them at the emir's palace. The Anguwan Liman area is located north of the Zaria palace.

Transportation and Economy

Zaria's economy mainly relies on farming. The main food crops are guinea corn and millet. Farmers also grow crops to sell, like cotton, groundnuts, and tobacco.

Zaria is a market town for the areas around it. It is also home to many skilled workers. These include people who do leather work, dyeing, and cap making. There are also metalworkers, print shops, and furniture makers. Zaria is a center for making textiles. For over 200 years, people here have made fancy, hand-embroidered robes. Men wear these robes all over Nigeria and West Africa.

Zaria City Road, Kaduna

Zaria has good access to railways. It is north of the main rail junction in Kaduna. This means it can easily send goods by train to the seaports in Lagos and Port Harcourt. However, only the railway between Lagos and Kano is currently working. This means Zaria has train access to Lagos and Kano to the north, but not to Port Harcourt.

Education in Zaria

Senate building of the Ahmadu Bello University

Zaria is home to Ahmadu Bello University. This is the largest university in Nigeria. It is also the second largest in Africa. The university is famous for its studies in Agriculture, Science, Finance, Medicine, and Law. Many important leaders from the region have studied there. Five former Nigerian heads of state, including the late president Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, went to this university.

Zaria also has other important schools. These include the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology and the Nigerian Army Depot. There are also historic secondary schools in the nearby town of Wusasa. These include St. Bartholomew's School and Science School Kufena. Barewa College and Alhudahuda College are other well-known secondary schools in the city.

Traditional Festivals

Durbar celebration in Zaria 2021

Zaria is one of the northern cities that celebrates the yearly cultural Durbar festivals. This festival happens twice a year. It marks the end of Ramadan and also goes with the Muslim festivals of Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr.

In Zaria, the festival is celebrated in different parts. The first day is called Hawan Sallah. It includes Eid prayers. After prayers, the Emir rides around the city from the prayer ground to his palace. District heads and royal guards join him. The second day is Hawan Bariki Sallah. The third day is Hawan Daushe. These are for the Emir's last rides around the city for the festival.

Climate

Zaria has a tropical savanna climate. This means it has warm weather all year. There is a wet season from April to September. The drier season lasts from October to March.

Environment

Air Quality

A study in 2019 looked at air pollution in Zaria. It found that the amount of pollution was within Nigeria's normal limits for air quality.

Land Use

This is a place in Zaria City, Kaduna State, high waya from Kaduna to Zaria to Kano

Zaria's land used to be mostly empty or barren. A study in 2020 showed changes from 1990 to 2020. Barren land decreased, while built-up areas grew by 66%. Areas with plants and trees increased by 29%. From 1990 to 2005, plant life had been decreasing. But after that, it increased a lot due to farming and planting new trees. Experts believe that urban areas and plant life will continue to grow until 2050.

Water Supply

The city gets its water from the Kaduna State Water Board. In 2012, only 30% of Zaria had access to clean water. In 2013, the African Development Fund gave money for a big project. It was part of a larger $480 million plan to improve water access. Some local companies working on the project had problems. Because of this, the African Development Bank stopped them from getting more funding. As of August 2020, 60% of the water in the system was lost. This was due to illegal connections, poor ways of measuring water use, and bad maintenance.

Notable People

See also

In Spanish: Zaria (Nigeria) para niños