The Kanem–Bornu Empire existed in areas which are now part of Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Libya and Chad. It was known to the Arabian geographers as the Kanem Empire from the 8th century AD onward and lasted as the independent kingdom of Bornu until 1900.
The Kanuri people are an African ethnic group living largely in the lands of the former Kanem and Bornu Empires in Niger, Nigeria, Chad, and Cameroon, as well as a diaspora community residing in Sudan. Those generally termed Kanuri include several subgroups and dialect groups, some of whom identify as distinct from the Kanuri. Most trace their origins to ruling lineages of the medieval Kanem–Bornu Empire, and its client states or provinces. In contrast to the neighboring Toubou or Zaghawa pastoralists, Kanuri groups have traditionally been sedentary, engaging in farming, fishing the Chad Basin, trade, and salt processing.
Ngazargamu, Birni Ngazargamu, Birnin Gazargamu, Gazargamo or N'gazargamu, was the capital of the Bornu Empire from ca. 1460 to 1809. Situated 150 km (93 mi) west of Lake Chad in the Yobe State of modern Nigeria, the remains of the former capital city are still visible. The surrounding wall is 6.6 km (4.1 mi) long and in parts it is still up to 5 m (16 ft) high.
Sakura was a mansa of the Mali Empire who reigned during the late 13th century, known primarily from an account given by Ibn Khaldun in his Kitāb al-ʻIbar. Sakura was not a member of the ruling Keita dynasty, and may have been formerly enslaved. He usurped the throne following a period of political instability and led Mali to considerable territorial expansion. During his reign, trade between the Mali Empire and the rest of the Muslim world increased. He was killed in the early 1300s while returning from the hajj and the Keita dynasty was restored to power.
The Kanembu are an ethnic group of Chad, generally considered the modern descendants of the Kanem–Bornu Empire. The Kanembu are estimated to number 1,815,270 people, located primarily in Chad's Lac Prefecture but also in Chari-Baguirmi and Kanem prefectures. They speak the Kanembu language, which the Kanuri language is closely related to, with many speaking Arabic and sometimes nowadays French as a second language.
Dunama Dabbalemi, or Dounama Dibbalém, of the Sayfawa dynasty, was the mai (king) of the Kanem Empire, in present-day Chad, from 1210 to 1224.
Hummay was the first Muslim mai (king) and founder of the Sayfawa dynasty. He ruled the Kanem–Bornu Empire from either 1085 to 1097 or 1075 to 1086, after 'Abd ul Jalil of the Duguwa dynasty was overthrown.
The Bilala or Bulala are a Muslim people that live around Lake Fitri, in the Batha Prefecture, in central Chad. The last Chadian census in 1993 stated that they numbered 136,629 people. Their language, Naba, is divided in four dialects and is a part of the Central Sudanic language family; it is shared by two of their neighbours, the Kuka and the Medogo. These three peoples are collectively known as Lisi and are believed to be descendants of main ethnic groups of the Sultanate of Yao.
al-Haj Idris Alooma was Mai (ruler) of the Bornu empire, covering parts of Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria. His achievements are primarily chronicled by Ahmad bin Fartuwa, his chief Imam. His reign marked the end of the Kanem civil wars within the state, reuniting N'jimi, the former capital, under Sayfawa control. Furthermore, he introduced significant legal reforms based on Islamic law, establishing qadi courts that operated independently from the executive branch. He is credited with leading the empire to what is often regarded as its zenith during the late 16th-century and early 17th-century.
The Girgam is the royal chronicle of the Kanem–Bornu Empire, written in Arabic. Girgam is also used as the name for written historical records in some kingdoms west of Bornu, including Daura, Fika and Mandara, defined as "chronicle or 'list of ancestors'" or simply "date".
The Zazzau, also known as the Zaria Emirate, is a traditional state with headquarters in the city of Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria. The current emir of Zazzau is Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli CFR, who succeeded the former emir, late Alhaji Shehu Idris.
Biri bin Dunama I was the son of Dunama I, and a woman from the Kayi ethnic group. Biri reigned as the king of Kanem from 1150 to 1176, in the early stages of the Kanem–Bornu Empire and was a member of the Sayfawa dynasty. He was succeeded by his son, 'Abdullah bin Bir.
Omar Ibn Idris, or Umar Idrismi, Idris Dunama III, was the ruler of the Kanem Empire from 1372 to 1380. He moved the capital from Njimi, Kanem to Kaga, located on the western edge of Lake Chad in present day Borno State, Nigeria.
This is a timeline of Nigerian history, comprising important legal and territorial changes and political events in Nigeria and its predecessor states. To read about the background to these events, see History of Nigeria. See also the list of heads of state of Nigeria.
Ali Gaji was the Mai (ruler) of Bornu Empire from 1472 or 1476 until 1503 or 1507. He is regarded as one of the "greatest rulers" of the empire and is attributed with ushering in the second era of Kanem-Bornu, following a century-long civil war that had divided the realm. He implemented reforms and put an end to internal conflicts that had plagued the empire and waged several successful wars with his neighbours. Additionally, he founded Birnin N'gazargamu, a capital city that remained the seat of the empire for over three centuries. During his reign, Bornu regained its prestige and was noted for its participation in the trans-Saharan trade, as noted by the Arab traveler Leo Africanus.
The Duguwa dynasty, or Dougouwa (700–1086), is the line of kings (mai) of the Kanem Empire prior to the rise of the Islamic Seyfawa dynasty in 1086.
Shehu Muhammad al-Amîn al-Kanemi was an Islamic scholar, teacher, religious and political leader who advised and eventually supplanted the Sayfawa dynasty of the Kanem–Bornu Empire. In 1846, al-Kanemi's son Umar I ibn Muhammad al-Amin became the sole ruler of Borno, an event which marked the end of the Sayfawa dynasty's 800 year rule. The current Shehu of Bornu, a traditional ruler whose seat remains in modern Borno State, Nigeria, is descended from al-Kanemi.
The Gao Empire was a kingdom that ruled the Niger bend from approximately the 7th century CE until their fall to the Mali Empire in the late 14th century. Ruled by the Za dynasty from the capital of Gao, the empire was an important predecessor of the Songhai Empire.
The history of Northern Nigeria covers the history of the region form pre-historic times to the modern period of Northern Nigerian state.
