Kano Walls: A famous historical building that is about to be restored to its original value The history of the construction of Kano's wa...
Kano Walls: A famous historical building that is about to be restored to its original value
The history of the construction of Kano's wall dates back around a thousand years.
Mazhun Idris
Aliko Dangote, the richest man in Africa, was born in Kano, a city in the north of Nigeria. Murtala Muhammad and Sani Abacha, two former presidents of Nigeria, were both born there.
When compared to other significant cities on the continent, Kano has always been regarded as having the highest level of development.
The city has a long history of being significant in trade, diplomacy, politics, and aviation since it was founded in the ninth century.
Up until the British took control of the city in 1903 under the command of Lord Lugard's army, Kano was ruled by a number of strong rulers.
History considers the walls of Kano to be the oldest in Africa, despite the fact that they are damaged and have stood for at least eight centuries. Over the years, numerous towns have either moved or destroyed monuments like Kano.
a fortified city
The wall that encloses the city, often referred to as Ganuwa, Garu, or Badala, is made of bricks and encloses the historic Kano city.
It is incredible to consider that the city has been surrounded by walls for almost a thousand years.
The Kano Wall is something more to Dr. Mahmud Abba and Dr. Murtala Uba Mohammed of the Department of Geology and Environment at Bayero University in Kano, who study contemporary cities and invisible relationships. thought.
They said that the historic city served as a hub for trade and was home to the oldest markets in Africa, such as the 1,000-year-old Kurmi market, where traders from the Mediterranean region came to exchange things such jewelry, leather, clothing, metal, and other personal items.
According to the two experts who spoke to TRT Afrika, Kano's enormous population and ambition for progress are to blame for how the city's economic sector and cotton processing industry have evolved.
Cities that are big and strong are all around Kano. Among them, Zamfara, Kwararrafa, Katsina, Zazzau, Kanem Bornu, and Songhai are the most notable.
Along with the forces already present in these cities, there are additional forces that have been pushed out by robbers and slave dealers who prowl the desert and the city's periphery.
The third King of Kano, Sarki Gijimasu, who ruled between 1095 and 1134, placed the bricks for the construction of Kano's walls in order to protect the city's population, which is growing, and to keep an eye on immigration.
good construction
The walls were being built by laborers and construction workers under the direction of the king's deputies.
Traditional bricks consisting of ground bricks and dry grass are used to construct the walls. Then praise for the walls was endless. Following that, walls were constructed with doors, each of which had a unique name.
The responsibility for opening and closing the doors falls to the guards. After the gates of the walls are locked and visitors arrive in the city at night, they must wait outside until daybreak before the gates are unlocked.
The king occasionally makes his way around to inspect the walls' quality both during and after their construction and issues instructions to have them repaired as needed.
Wall usage for the environment
Dr. Mohammed is one of those who thinks that Kano's wall construction is significant not just for its historical significance but also for the environment.
"For a very long time, water for bathing, cooking, and feeding animals was stored in the pits and numerous ponds that were dug during the construction of the walls.
They act as a location to store water and drain it, lowering the likelihood of floods, he told TRT Afrika.
Dr. Mohammed is one of those that advocate for the preservation of Kano's cultural legacy by using the best worldwide practices.
He added, "This is how our kids and grandkids will honor the blood and sweat of our ancestors who protected Kano and gave it to us.
When history ends
The Kano wall, which encloses the city and has been impacted by climate change and other environmental issues, has gone in various parts of the city and has to be reconstructed in other locations.
The only parts of the walls that are standing upright are the doors; these doors were fixed differently than they would have been in the past. The remainder have either vanished or been tucked away in the brand-new, contemporary structures.
Dr. Mahmud was upset about how the walls of Kano were converted into land for sale and that the UN Commission on Culture and Science had not designated the walls as a historical landmark.
Nasiru Wada Khalil, a proponent of cultural advancement, asserted that if nations like India can appreciate their historical sites like T