Zaria

History

Zaria, initially known as Zazzau, was the capital of the Hausa kingdom of Zazzau. Human settlement predates the rise of Zazzau, as the region, like some of its neighbors, had a history of sedentary Hausa settlement, with institutional market exchange and farming. Zaria was the most southern of the Hausa city-states. It was a trading destination for Saharan caravans as well as a prominent city in the Hausa slave trade. In the late 1450s, Islam arrived in Zaria by the way of its sister Habe cities, Kano and Katsina. Along with Islam, trade flourished between the cities as traders brought camel caravans filled with salt in exchange for slaves and grain. The city-state's power peaked under Queen Amina whose military campaigns established a tributary region including the kingdoms of Kano and Katsina. At the end of the 16th century, after Queen Amina's death, Zaria fell under the influence of the Jukun Kingdom and eventually became a tributary state itself. A French hostage of the Islamist group Ansaru, held captive at Zaria, escaped in 2013 and reached a police station in the city. In December 2015, Nigeria's military was reported to have killed 300 Shia Muslims and buried their bodies in a mass grave, following their physical attack and blockade of the Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Yusuf Burtai in an area they claimed to own as they don't recognize the leadership of the Republic of Nigeria. Although the government denies the killing part, it has been described as a massacre.