The Kurmi Market is a large

market Market is a term used to describe concepts such as: *Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand *Market economy *Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market Geography *Märket, an ...

in the city of

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 ...

Kano State Kano State (Hausa: ''Jihar Kano''جىِهَر كَنوُ) (Fula: Leydi Kano 𞤤𞤫𞤴𞤣𞤭 𞤳𞤢𞤲𞤮𞥅 ) is one of the 36 states of Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajee ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. It was founded by

Muhammad Rumfa Muhammad Dan Yakubu, known as Muhammad Rumfa was the Sultan of Kano from 1463 until 1499. His reign was characterized by wealth and opulence and signaled the rise of the Sultanate's commercial dominance in the region. Under the guidance of famed ...

, a

King of Kano This is a list of rulers of Kano since the establishment of the Bagauda Dynasty in 998. The early rulers are known almost exclusively from a single source, the ''Kano Chronicle'',; iGoogle Books which was composed in the late 19th century. Baga ...

, in the 15th century. As of 2003, Sale Ayagi was chairman of the market's unions. Kurmi Market has lent its name to a football team.

History

Kurmi market was established in the fifteenth century as a trading and warehousing center for the growing commercial activities in the city, a result of expanding regional and

Trans-Saharan trade Trans-Saharan trade requires travel across the Sahara between sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa. While existing from prehistoric times, the peak of trade extended from the 8th century until the early 17th century. The Sahara once had a very d ...

. It was built within the Jakara district of the city. At the time of its development, Kano had become a regional center of trade in agricultural produce with a functional industry in weaving, cloth dyeing, leather making and potter, this contributed to the attraction of the city to itinerant traders from

Western Sudan Sudan is the geographical region to the south of the Sahara, stretching from Western Africa to Central and Eastern Africa. The name derives from the Arabic ' (), or "the lands of the Black people, Blacks", referring to West Africa and northern ...

, Tripoli and

Ghadames Ghadames or Ghadamis ( Berber: ''ʕadémis''; ar, غدامس, Libyan vernacular: ''ɣdāməs'', Latin: ''Cidamus, Cydamus'', it, Gadames) is an oasis Berber town in the Nalut District of the Tripolitania region in northwestern Libya. The ...

who came to buy goods. Prior to the pre-colonial period, the market structure was organized in a quadrangle shape with

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...

stalls forming rows like an irregular street; within the market, particular quarters served distinct products and the cattle trade was located in the westernmost parts and outskirts of the market. The market was administered by individuals who supervise specific quarters or produce sections.

Colonial and post colonial period

In 1904, the old market was demolished and a new one built so as to improve revenue generation for the Kano Native Authority. The new market opened in 1909 and was composed of 755 stalls made of clay, it also had a mosque and a courthouse. Over the years incremental improvements took place, the streets were widened and some livestock sellers were asked to relocate. The surrounding of the market, in particular the Jakara area also witnessed expanded development. However, the direction of trade changed away from the city's northern neighbors and Trans-Saharan trade to trade with the Southern neighbors and Europeans. In 1969, the administration of the market fell into the hands of the Kano Local Government. Since then, the local government has encouraged specialized markets within the city such as Yan Kaba for vegetables and Kantin Kwari Market for textiles, some traders also moved to new emerging growth centers in the city such as Fagge and the Sabon Gari Market. Currently, the market has lost some of its lore as a centre of regional trade and caters mostly to local consumer interests.

References

Sources

External links

Gallery of Kano
at flickr.com, including several photographs of the market {{coord, 12, 00, N, 8, 31, E, source:kolossus-eswiki, display=title Buildings and structures in Kano Retail markets in Nigeria 15th-century establishments in Africa