Kingdom · 1000–1904

Daura

Daura is the “mother” of the Hausa states.

At a glance

When did the Daura exist?: From legendary origins to the British restore the Hausa line, 1904. It was at its height around 1000.
What was the capital of the Daura?: Daura.
What was the ruler of the Daura called?: Sarkin Daura (in legend, a line of queens).
What happened to the Daura?: The Emir of Daura reigns in Daura, Katsina State.
Who lives in the lands of the Daura today?: Hausa

Overview

Daura is the “mother” of the Hausa states. In the Bayajidda legend a stranger from the east kills the snake that guards the Kusugu well, marries Queen Daurama, and their grandsons found Kano, Katsina, Zazzau, Gobir and Rano, the Hausa Bakwai. Its early rulers were queens. Too small to be a great power, it was a refuge: Kano's people fled there from Kwararafa in the 17th century. The jihad put a Fulani emir in Daura in 1805; the Hausa line held out at Zango and Baure until the British made Musa of Zango emir of Daura in 1904.^[6],[2],[10]Medium confidence

The Bayajidda legend has no firm date.

Through the centuries

legend
Queen Daurama and Bayajidda
The founding legend of the Hausa states is set in Daura. Bayajidda, a prince said to have come from Baghdad by way of Bornu, kills the snake Sarki in the Kusugu well, which the people could use only once a week, and marries Queen Daurama. Their son Bawo has six sons who rule Daura, Katsina, Zazzau, Gobir, Kano and Rano; with Biram, son of Bayajidda's Bornu wife, these are the seven true Hausa states. Daura's king list begins with a line of queens. The well is still shown in the town.^[6],[2]Medium confidence
Capital: Daura
Legend, not dated history.
c. 1600–1700
A refuge from Kwararafa
When Kwararafa invades Kano under Muhammad Zaki, and again under Dadi around 1671, the people of Kano and their Sarki take refuge at Daura.^[7],[8],[6]High confidence
Capital: Daura
1805–1904
The jihad, and the Hausa line at Zango
In 1805 the Fulani leader Malam Ishaku takes Daura and becomes its first emir. The Hausa kings set up rival states close by, at Zango and at Baure, and keep their claim alive for a century. In 1904 the British make Musa of the Zango line the emir of Daura, and the Hausa dynasty returns.^[6]Medium confidence
Capital: Zango (Hausa line)

Today

Emir of Daura, Daura

The Emir of Daura reigns in Daura, Katsina State.^[10]High confidence

Its people

Hausa

Living in its lands today

Peoples whose homelands lie inside its lands at its height, by number of LGAs.

Hausa

Sources

Every claim carries a confidence level: high (well attested), medium (one source or approximate) or disputed (sources disagree).