Gooya, Goya or Gòoya is an archaeological site, ancient city and a mountainous valley with many hollows, caves and gorges found in
Fika local government area,
Yobe State
Yobe is a States of Nigeria, state located in northeastern Nigeria. A mainly agricultural state, it was created on 27 August 1991. Yobe State was carved out of Borno State. The capital of Yobe State is Damaturu, and its largest city by populati ...
,
Nigeria
Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
.
It is considered one of the tourists attraction sites in Yobe and the deepest gorge valley in Nigeria. The site is presently a home for various wild animals like hyenas and monkeys. It was used for a defensive retreat by the
Karai-karai
Karai-karai (Francophonic spelling: Karekare, Kerrikerri, Ajami: كاراي-كاراي) is the third largest Chadic language by number of speakers, and a language spoken in West Africa, most prominently North eastern Nigeria. The number of speak ...
people against invading neighbouring tribes during intertribal wars. Oral traditions showed that it was the former territory of the Karai-karai people as evidence of human existence in the area is shown as remains of the former city walls and ruined homes are still visible.
History
Oral history has it that after the rule of Ayam, Dakau and many other rulers, news reached
Mai Idris Alooma (1580 - 1617) about his kinsmen i.e. the Karai-karai people. As a result, the narration said, Alooma marched to the Karai-karai land of western
Kanem Borno with the sole aim of taking all the Karai-karai people to a place near him. The news of his trip and intent reached the Karai-karai people. The people on the other hand decided to leave for Gooya (a deep gorge) which the Karai-karai people especially those who came via the
Gongola basin discovered as the fortified place for retreat whenever they felt they had no enough time to alert the rest of their kin and kith elsewhere on the oncoming of any danger.
Mai Gireema was the leader who led the Karai-karai people to Gooya.
See also
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Aso Rock
Aso Rock is a large outcrop of granitic rock located on the outskirts of Abuja, the capital of Nigeria. The Aso Rock is a prominent monolith with a peak height of above sea level. It is one of the city's most noticeable features. The Nigerian ...
References
{{coord missing, Nigeria
Yobe State
Natural monoliths
Rock formations of Nigeria
Inselbergs of Africa
Valleys of Africa