The Daura Emirate is a religious and

traditional state Traditional authority is a form of leadership in which the authority of an organization or a regime is largely tied to tradition or custom. The main reason for the given state of affairs is that " things have always been that way".Reinhard Bendi ...

Northern Nigeria Northern Nigeria was an autonomous division within Nigeria, distinctly different from the southern part of the country, with independent customs, foreign relations and security structures. In 1962 it acquired the territory of the United Kingd ...

, the Emir of Daura still rules as a ceremonial hereditary monarch, and maintains a palace. Muhammad Bashar became the emir in 1966, reigning for 41 years until his death in 2007, On 28 February 2007, Umar Faruk Umar became Emir of Daura succeeding Muhammad Bashar.

History

Origins

The ''

Girgam The ''Girgam'' (or ''Diwan'') is the royal chronicle of the Kanem–Bornu Empire, written in Arabic. Girgam is also used as the name for written historical records in some kingdoms west of Bornu, including Daura, Fika and Mandara, defined as "ch ...

'' mentions that the Daura Emirate was established in 2000 BC and it all began from

Canaan Canaan (; Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍 – ; he, כְּנַעַן – , in pausa – ; grc-bib, Χανααν – ;The current scholarly edition of the Greek Old Testament spells the word without any accents, cf. Septuaginta : id est Vetus T ...

with a man called Najibu who migrated with a group of people to Ancient Egypt. They settled in Ancient Egypt for a while and had very close relations with the

Copts Copts ( cop, ⲛⲓⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ; ar, الْقِبْط ) are a Christian ethnoreligious group indigenous to North Africa who have primarily inhabited the area of modern Egypt and Sudan since antiquity. Most ethnic Copts are C ...

. They moved on to

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...

and their leader who was then Abdudar sought to rule over the people but was unsuccessful, so he moved on with his people to a place called Tsohon Birni today in

and it was this event that paved the way for the establishment of the Daura Emirate and city. Daura is the city that

Bayajidda Bayajidda (Hausa: Bàyā̀jiddà) was, according to the legends surrounding most West African states before the 19th century, the founder of the Hausa states. Most accounts say that Bayajidda came from Baghdad. Bayajidda came first to Borno where ...

, a figure from

Hausa Hausa may refer to: * Hausa people, an ethnic group of West Africa * Hausa language, spoken in West Africa * Hausa Kingdoms, a historical collection of Hausa city-states * Hausa (horse) or Dongola horse, an African breed of riding horse See also * ...

mythology, arrived at after his trek across the

Sahara , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...

. Once there, he killed a snake (named Sarki) who prevented the people from drawing water from the well known as

Kusugu The Kusugu well is an ancient well located in Daura, Nigeria. The well is famous for its relation to the legend of the hero Bayajidda defeating the snake Sarki. The well and Bayajidda's supposed dagger are now a tourist attraction. The legend ...

, and the local queen Daurama Shawata, married him out of gratitude; one of their seven children was named Daura. The Kusugu well in Daura where Bayajidda is said to have slain Sarki is protected by a wooden shelter and has become a

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural b ...

. The emirate is referred to as one of the "seven true

Hausa states The Hausa Kingdoms, also known as Hausa Kingdom or Hausaland, was a collection of states started by the Hausa people, situated between the Niger River and Lake Chad (modern day northern Nigeria). Hausaland lay between the Western Sudanic kingdom ...

" (

Hausa Bakwai The Hausa Kingdoms, also known as Hausa Kingdom or Hausaland, was a collection of states started by the Hausa people, situated between the Niger River and Lake Chad (modern day northern Nigeria). Hausaland lay between the Western Sudanic kingdoms ...

) because it was, (along with Biram,

Kano Kano may refer to: Places *Kano State, a state in Northern Nigeria * Kano (city), a city in Nigeria, and the capital of Kano State **Kingdom of Kano, a Hausa kingdom between the 10th and 14th centuries **Sultanate of Kano, a Hausa kingdom between ...

Katsina Katsina, likely from "Tamashek" eaning son or bloodor mazza enwith "inna" otheris a Local Government Area and the capital city of Katsina State, in northern Nigeria.

Zazzau The Zazzau, also known as the Zaria Emirate, is a Nigerian traditional state, traditional state with headquarters in the city of Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria. The current emir of Zazzau is Alhaji Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli who succeeded the former emir, l ...

Gobir Gobir (Demonym: ''Gobirawa'') was a city-state in what is now Nigeria. Founded by the Hausa in the 11th century, Gobir was one of the seven original kingdoms of Hausaland, and continued under Hausa rule for nearly 700 years. Its capital was the ci ...

, and

Rano Rano is a Local Government Area and headquarters of Rano Emirate council in Kano State, Nigeria. Rano is a local government area in Kano State with administrative headquarters in the town of Rano. Rano local government area is a Hausa-Fulani com ...

), ruled by the descendants of Bayajidda's sons with Daurama and Magira (his first wife). The

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, ...

's African American Studies Department refers to Daura, as well as Katsina, as having been "ancient seats of Islamic culture and learning."

Modern history

In 1805, during the

Fulani War The Fulani War of 1804–1808, also known as the Fulani Jihad or Jihad of Usman dan Fodio, was a military conflict in present-day Nigeria and Cameroon. The war began when Usman Dan Fodiyo, a prominent Islamic scholar and teacher, was exiled ...

, Daura was taken over by

Fulani The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people ( ff, Fulɓe, ; french: Peul, links=no; ha, Fulani or Hilani; pt, Fula, links=no; wo, Pël; bm, Fulaw) are one of the largest ethnic groups in the Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. ...

warrior

Malam Ishaku Malam is a name. Notable people with this name include: Surname * Albert Malam (1913–1992), English football player * Brady Malam (born 1973), New Zealand rugby league football player * Daouda Malam Wanké (1946–2004), military and political l ...

, who set up an

emirate An emirate is a territory ruled by an emir, a title used by monarchs or high officeholders in the Muslim world. From a historical point of view, an emirate is a political-religious unit smaller than a caliphate. It can be considered equivalen ...

. The Hausa set up rival states nearby, and the ruler of one, Malam Musa, was made the new emir of Daura by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

in 1904. Once part of

Kaduna State Kaduna State ( ha, Jihar Kaduna جىِهَر كَدُنا; ff, Leydi Kaduna, script=Latn, ; kcg, Sitet Kaduna) is a state in northern Nigeria. The state capital is its namesake, the city of Kaduna which happened to be the 8th largest city in ...

, Daura became part of the new

Katsina State Katsina State ''(Hausa: Jihar Katsina) (Fula: Leydi Katsina 𞤤𞤫𞤴𞤣𞤭 𞤳𞤢𞥁𞤭𞤲𞤢)'' is a state in the northwestern geopolitical zone of Nigeria. Katsina State was created in 1987, when it split from Kaduna State. Today, K ...

in 1987.

Faruk Umar Faruk Alhaji Faruk Umar Faruk, or Umar Faruk Umar, (born 1931) is the 60th Emir, of the Daura Emirate. The Emirate is based in the town of Daura in Katsina State, northern Nigeria. Biography Umar Faruq dan Umar was born in 1931. He became Emir of Dau ...

became the 60th Emir of Daura on 28 Feb 2007 following the death of Sarkin Muhammadu Bashar dan Umaru.

Rulers

Early time emirs

* Abduldari * Kufuru. * Gino * Yakumo * Yakunya * Walzamu * Yanbamu * Gizirgizir * Innagari * Daurama * Gamata * Shata * Batatuma * Sandamata * Jamatu * Hamata * Zama * Shawa * Bawo

Fulani dynasty

* Malam Isiyaku * Malam Yusufu * Malam Muhammadu Sani * Malam Zubairu * Malam Muhammadu Bello * Malam Muhammadu Altine * Malam Muhammadu Mai Gardo * Buntarawa Sogiji * Magajiya Murnai

Zango's Rival Kingdom

* Sarkin Gwari Abdu * Sarki Lukudi ɗan Tsoho * Sarki Nuhu ɗan Lukudi * Sarki Mamman Sha ɗan Sarkin Gwari Abdu * Sarki Haruna ɗan Sarki Lukudi * Sarki Ɗan’aro ɗan Sarkin Gwari Abdu * Sarki Tafida ɗan Sarki Nuhu * Sarki Sulaiman ɗan Sarkin Gwari Abdu * Sarki Yusufu ɗan Sarki Lukudi * Sarki Tafida ɗan Sarki Nuhu (a Karo na biyu)

Haɓe dynasty

* Sarki Musa ɗan Sarki Nuhu * Sarki Abdurrahman ɗan Sarki Musa * Sarki Muhammadu Bashar * Sarki Umar Faruq Umar

Bibliography

* S. J. Hogben und Anthony Kirk-Greene: ''The Emirates of Northern Nigeria'', London 1966 ("Daura", p. 145-155). * Dierk Lange: ''Ancient Kingdoms of West Africa'', Dettelbach 2004 ("Daura", p. 219-233). * Michael Smith: ''The Affairs of Daura: History and Change in a Hausa State - 1800-1958'', Berkeley 1978.

References

{{Nigerian traditional states Nigerian traditional states History of Nigeria Katsina State Emirates