Katsina Kingdom

Origins

Katsina was one of the Hausa Bakwai, the seven core Hausa states. Tradition says Korau, a wrestler and newcomer, killed Sanau, the last ruler of the earlier Durbawa line, and founded a new dynasty in the 14th century. Muhammadu Korau, remembered as the first Muslim king and dated to the second half of the 15th century, is often identified with this founder, so the early chronology is uncertain.

Rule and society

Katsina stood at the southern end of a major trans-Saharan route through Agadez and became a centre of trade in cloth, leather, slaves and kola, and of Islamic learning, with scholars teaching at the Gobarau mosque. It fought long wars with Kano and acknowledged at times the Kanem-Bornu Empire and the Songhai Empire.

Decline and legacy

In 1807 the Fulani jihadist Umaru Dallaji captured the city, and Katsina became the Katsina Emirate within the Sokoto Caliphate. The Hausa royal family withdrew north and founded the Sultanate of Maradi, now in Niger.