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Gobir
The Kingdom of Gobir (Demonym: Gobirawa) was a Hausa kingdom in what is now northern Nigeria. Founded by the Hausa in the 12th century, Gobir was one of the seven original kingdoms of Hausaland, and continued under Hausa rule for nearly 700 years. Its capital was the city of Alkalawa. In the early 19th century elements of the ruling dynasty fled north to what is today Niger from which a rival dynasty developed ruling as Sarkin Gobir ("King of Gobir") at Tibiri. In 1975 a reunited traditional sultanate took up residence in Sabon Birni, Nigeria.
While broader Hausa tradition claims the founder of Gobir to have been Duma, a grandson of Bayajidda, this is overshadowed by the tradition found in records preserved by the Gobir ruling house (Bacirawa) where they trace their descent from the nomadic Copts (or Kibdawa) of Arabia. The Gobirawa are said to have migrated from Kabila, north of Mecca, to Gubur in Yemen, where they established their first king (Sarkin Gobir), Bana Turmi. From there, they passed through Khartoum and Bornu to Asben, Surukul, Birnin Lalle, Magali, and finally Goran Rami. Gobir's regnal list has 372 kings said to span over 7000 years, and details years and months.
Historians S. J. Hogben and A. H. M. Kirk-Greene noted that this claim is disputed by some and might have been an invention of Bawa Jan Gwarzo (r. 1777–1795) to avoid paying tribute (murgu) to Bornu. British historian Murray Last observes that Egyptian merchants before the 15th century seem to have given the Asben region the Coptic name 'Gubir'. He also points out that the Coptic word for henna is kouper, and it may not be a coincidence that the one time Gobir capital is named Birnin Lalle ('city of henna').
A manuscript in the possession of the alkali (chief judge) of Sabon Birni sheds more light on the Coptic tradition. According to this manuscript, Muhammad, the Islamic prophet, called on Bana Turmi to support him against his enemy Haibura. Wanting to be on the winning side, Bana Turmi sent half of his retainers to support Muhammad and the other half to Haibura. Haibura lost the battle and was slain at Badr.
Accordingly, after the battle, Muhammad saw a group of Gobirawa fleeing and ordered them to be captured. When they were brought before him, he asked why they had fled, as victory was theirs. They revealed that they had been fighting for Haibura, exposing Bana Turmi's duplicity. Muhammad then declared that the Gobirawa would suffer from divided counsel and internal dissension until the end of time.
Tradition continues that Bana Turmi then led the Gobirawa out of Yemen and died at the salt wells of Bilma. His grandson, Bala, then led the Gobirawa further west into the land of Asben, where they aligned with the Idirfunawa of the Adrar against the Tuaregs.
According to historian Boubé Gado, some claim that Bana Turmi, whose actual name is Bawo na Turmi, was the son of Bawo and the grandson of Bayajidda. This connects the Gobir tradition with the more well known Bayajidda legend of Daura.
Gobir was one of the seven original kingdoms of Hausaland, tracing a lineage back to the 11th century. It was the northernmost of the Hausa states and was depended on to protect its sister states from northern adversaries, particularly the Tuareg tribes. From its founding, Gobir had a proud martial reputation, likely stemming from its long history of nomadism. Although the majority of the Gobirawa ('people of Gobir') were Hausa, the ruling dynasty claimed Coptic descent, marking under their eyes with "the same mark found under the eye of the Pharaohs on the monuments," called takin kaza ('the fowl's footprint') in Hausa. This ruling house descended from Bana Turmi, the first Sarkin Gobir, who died at Bilma. They arrived in the Asben region between the 12th and 14th centuries, establishing a state with the Idirfunawa (Hausawa in Adrar) they met there. Historian Mahdi Amadu in the General History of Africa (1984) says that the kingdom was possibly centred on Marandet, a prosperous city from the 9th century, which may indicate the Gobirawa had a centralised state at that time.
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Gobir
The Kingdom of Gobir (Demonym: Gobirawa) was a Hausa kingdom in what is now northern Nigeria. Founded by the Hausa in the 12th century, Gobir was one of the seven original kingdoms of Hausaland, and continued under Hausa rule for nearly 700 years. Its capital was the city of Alkalawa. In the early 19th century elements of the ruling dynasty fled north to what is today Niger from which a rival dynasty developed ruling as Sarkin Gobir ("King of Gobir") at Tibiri. In 1975 a reunited traditional sultanate took up residence in Sabon Birni, Nigeria.
While broader Hausa tradition claims the founder of Gobir to have been Duma, a grandson of Bayajidda, this is overshadowed by the tradition found in records preserved by the Gobir ruling house (Bacirawa) where they trace their descent from the nomadic Copts (or Kibdawa) of Arabia. The Gobirawa are said to have migrated from Kabila, north of Mecca, to Gubur in Yemen, where they established their first king (Sarkin Gobir), Bana Turmi. From there, they passed through Khartoum and Bornu to Asben, Surukul, Birnin Lalle, Magali, and finally Goran Rami. Gobir's regnal list has 372 kings said to span over 7000 years, and details years and months.
Historians S. J. Hogben and A. H. M. Kirk-Greene noted that this claim is disputed by some and might have been an invention of Bawa Jan Gwarzo (r. 1777–1795) to avoid paying tribute (murgu) to Bornu. British historian Murray Last observes that Egyptian merchants before the 15th century seem to have given the Asben region the Coptic name 'Gubir'. He also points out that the Coptic word for henna is kouper, and it may not be a coincidence that the one time Gobir capital is named Birnin Lalle ('city of henna').
A manuscript in the possession of the alkali (chief judge) of Sabon Birni sheds more light on the Coptic tradition. According to this manuscript, Muhammad, the Islamic prophet, called on Bana Turmi to support him against his enemy Haibura. Wanting to be on the winning side, Bana Turmi sent half of his retainers to support Muhammad and the other half to Haibura. Haibura lost the battle and was slain at Badr.
Accordingly, after the battle, Muhammad saw a group of Gobirawa fleeing and ordered them to be captured. When they were brought before him, he asked why they had fled, as victory was theirs. They revealed that they had been fighting for Haibura, exposing Bana Turmi's duplicity. Muhammad then declared that the Gobirawa would suffer from divided counsel and internal dissension until the end of time.
Tradition continues that Bana Turmi then led the Gobirawa out of Yemen and died at the salt wells of Bilma. His grandson, Bala, then led the Gobirawa further west into the land of Asben, where they aligned with the Idirfunawa of the Adrar against the Tuaregs.
According to historian Boubé Gado, some claim that Bana Turmi, whose actual name is Bawo na Turmi, was the son of Bawo and the grandson of Bayajidda. This connects the Gobir tradition with the more well known Bayajidda legend of Daura.
Gobir was one of the seven original kingdoms of Hausaland, tracing a lineage back to the 11th century. It was the northernmost of the Hausa states and was depended on to protect its sister states from northern adversaries, particularly the Tuareg tribes. From its founding, Gobir had a proud martial reputation, likely stemming from its long history of nomadism. Although the majority of the Gobirawa ('people of Gobir') were Hausa, the ruling dynasty claimed Coptic descent, marking under their eyes with "the same mark found under the eye of the Pharaohs on the monuments," called takin kaza ('the fowl's footprint') in Hausa. This ruling house descended from Bana Turmi, the first Sarkin Gobir, who died at Bilma. They arrived in the Asben region between the 12th and 14th centuries, establishing a state with the Idirfunawa (Hausawa in Adrar) they met there. Historian Mahdi Amadu in the General History of Africa (1984) says that the kingdom was possibly centred on Marandet, a prosperous city from the 9th century, which may indicate the Gobirawa had a centralised state at that time.