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c. 1100 – 1400: The Hausa Bakwai (Seven True Hausa States)—Daura, Kano, Katsina, Zaria, Gobir, Rano, and Biram—are founded.

In the vast savannahs and semi-arid plains of northern Nigeria, a unique urban and political tradition was taking root. Between the 11th and 14th centuries, the foundations were laid for what would become the legendary Hausa Bakwai—the Seven True Hausa States. More than just cities, Daura, Kano, Katsina, Zaria, Gobir, Rano, and Biram were vibrant city-states that would evolve into powerful, competitive entities, whose legacy of commerce, craftsmanship, and centralized administration would define the character of the region for centuries. Their origins, shrouded in a powerful foundational myth, speak to a shared identity forged from diverse roots.

The story of their founding is best told through the Bayajidda legend (also known as the Daura legend), a narrative that beautifully blends history with symbolism. As the story goes, Bayajidda, a prince from Baghdad, arrived in the town of Daura after a long journey.

He found the people living in fear, as a great serpent, Sarki, occupied the only well and allowed water to be drawn only on Fridays.

Hearing of a queen’s plight, Bayajidda sought water from the well, confronted the serpent, and slew it with his sword. In gratitude, Queen Daurama of Daura married him.

Their son, Bawo, in turn had seven sons who became the founders of the seven legitimate Hausa states: Biram, Daura, Gobir, Kano, Katsina, Rano, and Zaria (then called Zazzau).

This myth serves multiple purposes. It provides a prestigious, Eastern (Middle Eastern) origin for the ruling classes, linking them to the wider Islamic world. It symbolizes the taming of the wild and the establishment of order (sarki also means “king” in Hausa, suggesting the conquest of chaotic, pre-state forces).

Finally, it creates a narrative of kinship, explaining the cultural and linguistic bonds between the disparate city-states.

While the legend provides a unifying story, the historical reality was one of fierce independence and rivalry. Each of the Hausa Bakwai developed its own distinct economic and military specialty, leading to a famous Hausa proverb that encapsulates their roles:

· Daura: Daura ta da daura — “Daura, the mother of all.”
· Kano: Kano ta da masaru — “Kano, of the indigo dye pits.” Kano became the industrial and commercial heartland, famous for its weaving and dyeing of cloth, which was traded across the Sahara.
· Katsina: Katsina ta da kara — “Katsina, of the scholarship and trade.” A rival to Kano, Katsina became a renowned center of Islamic learning and a terminal for trans-Saharan caravans.
· Zazzau (Zaria): Zazzau ta da gari — “Zaria, of the slave raiding.” Located to the south, Zaria acted as a buffer state, raiding non-Hausa territories for slaves who were then used for labor or traded north.
· Gobir: Gobir ta da makama — “Gobir, of the military.” Situated in the northwest, Gobir was the frontier state, responsible for defending the Hausa lands from Tuareg incursions and leading military campaigns.
· Rano: Rano ta da fata — “Rano, of the leather works.”
· Biram: Biram ita ‘yar Babba — “Biram, the eldest.”

This specialization fostered a dynamic, competitive, and interdependent network. Kano and Katsina vied for control of the trans-Saharan trade, which brought salt, cloth, books, and horses from the north in exchange for leather goods, kola nuts, textiles, and slaves from the south.

Their city walls, some of the most extensive in pre-colonial Africa, were testaments to both their wealth and the constant threat of conflict. The famous Kano City Walls, begun in the 11th century and expanded over 500 years, stretched for over 14 kilometers.

The early centuries of the Hausa states were a period of gradual Islamization. Islam first arrived through trans-Saharan traders and itinerant scholars from North Africa, beginning in the 14th century. It was initially a religion of the elite, adopted by kings and merchants for its practical benefits in diplomacy and literacy.

The masses largely retained their traditional beliefs. This created a syncretic society where Islamic law coexisted with, and often was subordinate to, pre-Islamic customs.

The founding and rise of the Hausa Bakwai represent a classic example of secondary state formation. They emerged at a time when the great empires of Ghana and Kanem were already flourishing, and they adeptly plugged into the existing economic and cultural networks of the region.

Their model of competitive city-states, each with a specialized economic niche, proved remarkably resilient and successful. They created a vibrant, urbanized culture whose language, Hausa, would become a lingua franca across West Africa.

However, their very independence and rivalry would eventually become a weakness, leaving them vulnerable to a unifying force that would sweep through the region centuries later: the Fulani Jihad of Usman dan Fodio.

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