Ngazargamu, Birni Ngazargamu, Birnin Gazargamu, Gazargamo or N'gazargamu, was the capital of the

Bornu Empire Bornu may refer to: * Bornu Empire Bornu may refer to: * Bornu Empire, a historical state of West Africa * Borno State Borno State is a state in the North-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered by Yobe to the west, Gombe to the southwest ...

from ca. 1460 to 1809. Situated west of

Lake Chad Lake Chad (french: Lac Tchad) is a historically large, shallow, endorheic lake in Central Africa, which has varied in size over the centuries. According to the ''Global Resource Information Database'' of the United Nations Environment Programme, ...

in the

Yobe State Yobe is a 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 it's largest and most populated city is Potisku ...

of modern

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 ...

, the remains of the former capital city are still visible. The surrounding wall is long and in parts it is still up to high. The capital city was built in , during the reign of Mai Ali Gazi (1476–1503). It was located in the fork of the

Komadugu Gana River The Komadugu Gana River or Misau River is a river in the Chad Basin in northeastern Nigeria that joins the Yobe River at Damasak, in the Mobbar Local Government Area of Borno State.Mortimore, MichaelAdapting to Drought: Farmers, Famines, and Des ...

and the

Komadugu Yobe The Yobe River, also known as the Komadougou Yobe or the Komadougou-Yobe (french: Komadougou Yobé), is a river in West Africa that flows into Lake Chad through Nigeria and Niger. Its tributaries include the Hadejia River, the Jama'are River, ...

, near present-day

Geidam Geidam is a Local Government Area in Yobe State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Geidam in the northwest of the area at. On 24 April 2021 terrorists from ISWAP seized Geidam killing 11 people, and over 6,000 residents were displaced. ...

. The city became Bornu's leading center for Islamic education under

Idris Alooma Idris Alooma, Idris ibn 'Ali (Alooma), or Idriss Alaoma, (r. 1570–1602/03 or 1580–1617) was Mai (king) of the Kanem-Bornu Empire, located mainly in Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria. His name is more properly written Idris Alawma or Idris Alau ...

. In 1808, Gazargamo was taken by the

Fulani Jihad 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 ...

References

Bibliography

* Barth, Heinrich: ''Travels and Discoveries in North and Central Africa'', 3 vols., New York 1857-8 (see vol. III, p. 29-31). *Louis Brenner: ''The Shehus of Kukawa'', Oxford 1973 (p. 20, 32–34). *Lange, Dierk: ''A Sudanic Chronicle: the Borno Expeditions of Idrīs Alauma'', Wiesbaden 1987 (p. 114-7).

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20070822212911/http://www.yobestategov.com/ngazargamu.htm * https://web.archive.org/web/20041029144503/http://unx1.shsu.edu/~his_ncp/Kanem-Bornu.html * https://web.archive.org/web/20070928151648/http://www.travelsyt.com/borno-state.htm Archaeological sites in Nigeria History of Northern Nigeria Bornu Empire Former populated places in Nigeria {{Yobe-geo-stub