Gwandu, also called Gando, is a
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an o ...
and
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 ...
in
Kebbi State
Kebbi state ( ha, Jihar Kebbi; Fulfulde: Leydi Kebbi 𞤤𞤫𞤴𞤣𞤠𞤳𞤫𞤦𞥆ðž¤) is a state in the northwestern Nigeria, Kebbi state is bordered east and north of Sokoto and Zamfara states, and to the south by Niger state while ...
,
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, NaìjÃrÃyà , yo, Nà ìjÃrÃà , 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 ...
. The seat of government for the
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 ...
and district of this name is in
Birnin Kebbi
Birnin Kebbi is a city located in Northwestern Nigeria. It is the capital city of Kebbi State and headquarter of the Gwandu Emirate. As of 2007 the city had an estimated population of 125,594 people.
Kebbi is mostly a Hausa and Fulani state, with ...
, which is the capital of Kebbi State and was capital of the historical
Kingdom of Kebbi
The Kebbi Emirate, also known as the Argungu Emirate is a traditional state based on the town of Argungu in Kebbi State, Nigeria. It is the successor to the ancient Hausa kingdom of Kebbi.
The Emirate is one of four in Kebbi State, the others bei ...
. Founded in the sixteenth century by the Kabbawa, a
Hausa-speaking people, Gwandu today acts as one of the four emirates composing Kebbi State.
The town became important during the
Fulani jihad, and from 1815 it was one of the two capitals of the
Fulani empire
The Sokoto Caliphate (), also known as the Fulani Empire or the Sultanate of Sokoto, was a Sunni Muslim caliphate in West Africa. It was founded by Usman dan Fodio in 1804 during the Fulani jihads after defeating the Hausa Kingdoms in the F ...
until it came under British control in 1903.
References
{{LGAs and communities of Kebbi State
Local Government Areas in Kebbi State
Populated places established in the 16th century
Populated places