Kano Old City Wall

Timeline

1. c. 1100–1300Kano · NigeriaKano developed gradually as an important trade and handicraft center of Hausaland; in its early period the urban area may have been enclosed by a wooden palisade or simple earthen walls to counter security threats from the steppe direction.
2. 1381–1390Kano Old City Wall (Ganuwar Kano) · Kano StateAccording to the Hausa chronicle tradition, in the 14th century the Sarki (king) of Kano oversaw a large-scale expansion of the walls, built of rammed earth mixed with red soil, with multiple gates (Kofar) controlling entry and exit; by the 1380s the wall system had reached considerable scale, protecting the city's markets, mosques, and textile workshops.
3. c. 1400–1800Kano · NigeriaDuring competition with other Hausa city-states such as Zazzau, Kano repeatedly repaired and extended the walls; after the 1804 Fulani jihad, the walls continued to serve a defensive function during the Sokoto Caliphate period, gradually losing their military role only after the colonial era.