**4. Historical development of Kano**

The historical development of Kano dates back more than 1000 years (i.e., the late 10th Century). During this period, Kano became one of the oldest and most prominent centers for the Trans-Saharan trade that involved the transportation of goods between sub-Saharan Africa, Northern Arab, and other European countries [29]. Kano is an agricultural state, the largest city in Nigeria's Northern region, and Nigeria's second (2nd) largest industrial city. It has over 18,684 square kilometers of cultivable land, with one of Nigeria's most extensively irrigated lands. The city of Kano is a primary producer of groundnut in Nigeria, contributing significantly to the country being the largest producer in Africa, contributing over 30% of Africa's total groundnut production and the third (3rd) globally after China and India [33].

The formation of settlement began to evolve in Kano as early as the first (1st) century AD when the people of the region engaged and became famous in iron mining and smelting activities. This led to the creation and growth of local chiefdoms and the subsequent establishment of the first kingdom in 999. The creation of Kano manifested towards the late 10th Century with the construction of the city walls during the 11th and 12th Centuries (i.e., from 1095 to 1134 AD) after the area became one of the seven Hausa kingdoms created by the descendants of Bayajidda, which prospered for about 500 years before the 19th Century [34]. The city walls of Kano are magnificent monuments built during the reign of the third king of Kano, Sarki Usman Giji Masu, and cover an area of approximately 19.2 square kilometers [20]. The walls have a height of about 9–10 meters and a similar dimensional thickness at the base, with a reduction of approximately 3 meters at the top as shown in **Figure 2** [35, 36]. They were built mainly for defense purposes using mud bricks and plastered with successive layers of earth material [37]. The city walls were constructed in the mid-13th Century during King Zamnagawa's reign, with the walls covering the entire city, having a total of 15 gates used to control people's movement in and out of the city [38]. The city walls of Kano are considered beyond monolithic structures and stretch to the archeological site of Dala Hill, the Emir's (King's) Palace, and the famous Kurmi international trade market [39, 40].

The Dala hill (**Figure 3**) is an ancient settlement and a source of Kano city's evolution, which dates back to the early 8th Century AD. The settlement serves as a vital point of reference for the historical development of cultures and societies in

**Figure 2.** *Ancient Kano city wall.*

**Figure 3.** *View of Kano from Dala hill.*

Hausaland (Urquhart, 1977). It also influenced the early local civilizations in the Western African sub-region savannah zone. The Emir's (King's) Palace (**Figure 4**) within the Kano city walls was built in the late 15th Century during the reign of King Muhammadu Rumfa between 1473 to 1482 [25]. It covered an area of approximately 33 acres of land. The palace is surrounded by 6–9 meter high walls from outside and 3-meter walls within the compound (Archnet, 2010). The Emir's Palace forebears the cultural and historical heritage of Kano city (**Figure 5**). It has a mixture of traditional, historical, and modern architectural features that reflect the cultural identity of the Kano people. It was planned to have a museum for historical artifacts and an open

**Figure 4.** *Aerial view of Emir's palace.*

*Understanding the Challenges of 21st Century Urbanization in Northern Nigeria's Largest City… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109400*

**Figure 5.** *Main entrance to Emir's palace.*

arena for Durbar festivals. The palace has three access routes: Kofar Kudu, Kofar Kwaru, and Kofar Fatalawa. The Kurmi Market in Kano is a well-known international trade market and one of the oldest local markets in Sub-Saharan Africa [41–43]. The market was created by King Muhammed Rumfa, the then King of Kano City, in the 15th century AD in 1463. It is recognized as one of the largest markets in Africa, covering an area of more than sixteen (16) hectares of land with over a thousand (1000) market shops. The market shops were arranged in lanes, with each lane consisting of different traders of iron and brass work, Gold and Silverworks, traditional handwoven fabrics, African handicrafts, figurines, and many more [42, 44]. The location of the market in the heart of Kano, within a slight distance from the city's central mosque and the Emir's Palace, gave a sense of bond and proximately between the people and the kings [44]. Hence, considered the city's central place of unity.

Between the 18th and 19th centuries, Kano became the largest and most prosperous province under the Sokoto Caliphate after the inception of Usman Dan Fodio's Islamic reforms in West Africa's Savannah region [25]. The region was colonized and made the administrative center of Northern Nigeria by the British in 1903 and was later replaced by Zungeru and Kaduna. Kano regained its administrative prominence after Nigeria's independence in 1960 and was established as a Nigerian state from then Northern Nigeria in 1967 [45]. Traders from Borno, Chad, and those from the western regions of Africa regularly visit the state. Kano serves as a meeting point for cultural and commodities exchange between the Arabs of Northern Africa and the Hausas of Sub-Saharan Africa [46, 47]. This has made the city an important commercial and

**Figure 6.** *Dye pits and traditional dyeing activities in Kofar Mata, Kano.*

industrial hub that serves as an entrepot for ancient international trade in the 18th and 19th centuries [48, 49]. Other Trading activities in the city include the dyeing of textile materials (**Figure 6**), cotton production, local crafts, and leather goods [50, 51].

Kano, Nigeria's second-largest industrial city after Lagos, has the highest number of industries in Northern Nigeria. These industries include metal fabrication, plastic, leather, textile, fertilizer, food and beverages, oil, and many other agro-based industries. By its historic function, the city of Kano is one of the most culturally, economically viable, and politically coherent city-states in Hausaland [52]. The city's central location also makes it a critical terminus for all states in Northern Nigeria, linked by various transportation means to other urban centers in Nigeria. The city remains a living, contemporary relic of a rich past.
