Kingdom of Daura

Origins

Daura is held by Hausa tradition to be the oldest Hausa town, ruled by a line of queens. The legend tells how Bayajidda, a stranger from the east, killed the snake guarding the Kusugu well, married Queen Daurama, and fathered Bawo, whose sons founded the other Hausa kingdoms. The state existed by the 11th century.

Rule and society

Daura remained comparatively small, and its prestige rested on tradition rather than power. It traded with neighbouring Katsina and Kano and with Saharan merchants, and was assigned the role of trade in the legendary division of the Hausa states. For long periods it acknowledged the overlordship of the Kanem-Bornu Empire.

Decline and legacy

Fulani forces took Daura around 1806, creating the Daura Emirate within the Sokoto Caliphate. The old Hausa dynasty ruled in exile at Zango and was later restored to Daura under British rule. The Kusugu well is still shown to visitors.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.