Why is Queen Amina of Zaria a hero? One reason Queen Amina is regarded as the ideal heroine, was in her ability to rule Zazzau better than any man has been able to. Under her reign, she amassed great wealth for the kingdom, and got powerful by the day in relation to other rulers of her time.
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Where was Queen Amina buried?
Worried by that development, Queen Amina refused to return home. She jumped into the river and died at Dekina and was later buried at Idah.”
How old was Queen Amina before she died?
77 years (1533–1610)Amina / Age at death
Is Amina a true story?
The movie is 105 minutes long. Amina is a true story based in the 16th-century revolving around the Zazzau empire warrior Queen Amina. She uses her military skills and tactics to protect her family's kingdom.
Who is the first queen of Africa?
AminaQueen of Zazzaustatue of Amina in LagosEmira of ZazzauReign1576–16108 more rows
Who was the first queen of Nigeria?
She is known also as Amina Sarauniya Zazzau. She lived approximately 200 years prior to the establishment of the Sokoto-Caliphate federation that governed Nigeria during the period of British colonial rule following the Islamic jahad (holy war) that overtook the region in the nineteenth century.
How do you spell Amina in Arabic?
Amina (or Aminah, Amna) meaning "safe one, protected" and Ameena (Ameenah, Amineh; Arabic: أمينة amīnah) meaning "devoted, honest, straightforward, trusty, worth of belief (believable), loyal, faithful, obedient of Iman" are Arabic female given names. The male form of the latter is Amin.
What does the name Amina mean?
honest, faithfulMeaning:honest, faithful. Amina is a beautiful girl's name of Arabic origin. It symbolizes honesty and trustworthiness, which are two traits any new parent would wish to pass on to baby. An alternate spelling for this given name is Aminah, the name of the Prophet Muhammad's mother.
What is Zaria known for?
Zaria is a major collecting point for cotton, tobacco, peanuts (groundnuts), shea nuts, and hides and skins. Cotton, peanuts, and shea nuts are processed locally and sent by rail to Lagos (430 miles [690 km] southwest) for export.
What happened when Queen Elizabeth came to Nigeria?
In 1956, Queen Elizabeth the II visited Nigeria, where she commissioned her bronze sculpture which was exhibited by Ben Enwonwu, a Nigerian sculptor.
What is the meaning of Zazzau?
Zazzau was a collection point for slaves to be delivered to the northern markets of Kano and Katsina, where they were exchanged for salt with traders who carried them north of the Sahara.
When did Queen Elizabeth visit Nigeria?
As queen, one of her ceremonial duties included visiting the British colonies, to which Nigeria belonged. She visited Nigeria twice—in 1956 when Nigeria was a British colony and in 2003 when Nigeria was already a sovereign nation.
What happened to Queen Amina of Zaria?
Queen Amina of Zaria died 34 years later and became the first woman to rule the African Kingdom. She is still remembered as a brave, smart, and talented leader. In honour of her accomplishments, a statue of her was built and placed in the National Arts Theatre in Nigeria and many educational institutions bear her name.
What was the history of the Hausa people?
During the years between 1200-1700 Hausaland was, in fact, fraught with warring parties.
What is Queen Amina based on?
Much of what is known of Queen Amina is based on information related in the Kano Chronicles, a translation by Muhammed Bellow of pre-colonial African tradition based in part on anonymous Hausa writings. Other details were pulled from the oral traditions of Nigeria.
How old was Amina when she was born?
Amina was born the eldest of three royal siblings. She was 16 years old when her noble parent, the powerful Bakwa of Turunku (var. Barkwa Turunda), inherited the throne of Zazzau. Historical accounts of Bakwa, the twenty-second habe of Zazzau, vary as to whether Bakwa was Amina’s father or mother.
How long did Queen Amina rule?
According to most accounts, Queen Amina ruled for 34 years at the turn of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Her domain of Zazzau, a city-state of Hausaland, was eventually renamed to Zaria and is the capital of the present-day emirate of Kaduna in Nigeria.
What was Queen Amina's first military engagement?
BATTLE#N#Within three months of inheriting the throne, Queen Amina embarked on what was to be the first in an ongoing series of military engagements associated with her rule . She stood in command of an immense military band and personally led the cavalry of Zazzau through an ongoing series of campaigns, waging battle continually throughout the course of her sovereignty.
What were the skills of the Hausaland people?
The citizens of Hausaland at that time displayed advanced skills in the industrial arts of tanning, weaving, and metalworking —in contrast to the inhabitants of the neighboring territories and surrounding cultures, where agriculture remained the dominant activity.
Where did protective armor come from?
Regardless of its origin, the innovation of protective armor arrived in Hausaland during the era of Amina. Because the Hausa of Zazzau were well skilled in the metalworking crafts, it is not unreasonable to infer that Amina’s army was well protected by body armor.
Where did Queen Amina die?
She died in a place called Attaagar. It was for this reason that the kingdom of Zakzak was the most extensive among the kingdoms of Hausa, since Bauchi included many regions. Here, it appears that Zakzak is Zazzau, and the reference is to Queen Amina. Queen Amina is a legend among the Hausa people for her military exploits.
Where is the kingdom of Zaria located?
This medieval African kingdom was located in the region now known as the Kaduna State in the north-central region of Nigeria, capital at the modern city of Zaria. Zaria (aka Birnin Zaria) was named after Queen Amina's younger sister Zariya, and is where the Royal Palace of Zaria resided. The earliest commentator to mention Queen Amina is Muhammed ...
Who captured Zaria in 1805?
Commemorative stamp of Queen of Amina of Zaria. By 1805, the region was captured by the Fulani during the Fulani jihad. By 1901, Frederick Lugard led British forces and captured Zaria as a protectorate state. This is the same year that it is reported that Zaria sought British protection against slave raids from the Kontagora region.
Who was the first person to mention Queen Amina?
The earliest commentator to mention Queen Amina is Muhammed Bello's history Ifaq al-Maysur, composed around 1836. Queen Amina is also mentioned in the Kano Chronicle, a well-regarded and detailed history of the city of Kano and the surrounding Hausa people. It was composed in the late 19th century and incorporated earlier oral histories before ...
Is Zaria a traditional emirate?
Since Nigeria's independence from the British in 1960, Zaria is one of its largest traditional emirates. Zaria city was originally surrounded by walls built by Queen Amina, but those walls have since been removed. The above shown entrance is to the palace of the Emir of Zazzau.
Who was Queen Amina?
Queen Amina of Zazzau: A West African Warrior Queen. Queen Amina (also known as Queen Aminatu), was the elder daughter of Queen Bakwa Turunku, the founder of the Zazzau Kingdom in 1536. Some scholars date Queen Amina's reign to about 1549, as heir apparent after the death of her mother. This medieval African kingdom was located in ...
What is Amina's name?
Her exploits earned her the moniker Amina, daughter of Nikatau, a woman as capable as a man. Her legendary escapades made her the model for the television series Xena Warrior Princess. Today, her memory represents the spirit and strength of womanhood.
Why did Amina introduce metal armor?
Because her people were talented metal workers, Amina introduced metal armor, including iron helmets and chain mail, to her army. To her credit, she fortified each of her military camps with an earthen wall. Later, towns and villages sprung up within these protective barriers.
How long did Amina rule?
When her brother Karama died after a ten-year rule, Amina had matured into a fierce warrior and had earned the respect of the Zazzau military and she assumed the reign of the kingdom. Amina led her first military charge a few months after assuming power. For the rest of her 34 year reign, she continued to fight and expand her kingdom to ...
Where was Amina born?
Amina was born around 1533 in Zaria, a province of today’s Nigeria. She was the daughter of Bakwa of Turunku. Their family's wealth was derived from the trade of leather goods, cloth, kola, salt, horses and imported metals. When Bakwa died in 1566, the crown of Zazzua passed to Amina’s younger brother, Karama.
Who was Amina's brother?
When Bakwa died in 1566, the crown of Zazzua passed to Amina’s younger brother, Karama. Their sister, Zaria, fled the region and little is known about her. Although Bakwa's reign was known for peace and prosperity, Amina chose to hone her military skills from the warriors of the Zazzau military. As a result, she emerged as leader ...
Did Amina's walls have children?
The walls became known as Amina’s Walls and many of them remain in existence to this day. According to legend, Amina refused to marry and never bore children. Instead, she took a temporary husband from the legions of vanquished foes after every battle.
How many soldiers did Zazzau have?
Within three months, she gathered an army of 20,000 foot soldiers and one thousand cavalry troops and set out on her first expedition. Those soldiers were not only highly trained, but very fearsome as well. Their conquests made Zazzau the most powerful city state of the region.
Where is Queen Amina from?
According to a few available sources, Hausa Queen Amina was born in 1533 in Zazzau, a city state in the Kingdom of Hausa, located somewhere between the Niger River and Lake Chad in the modern-day Nigeria. She was the eldest child of King Nikatau and Queen Bakwa Turunku.
How long did Queen Amina rule?
Queen Amina ruled for 34 years, spending the entire period fighting wars and expanding her territories. In the process, she not only established her dominance over a large tract of land, but also brought in massive wealth, making her city the center of trade and commerce.
What was Queen Amina's first task?
Therefore, her first task was to ensure their safety from both robbers and slave traders. Shortly after ascending the throne, Queen Amina gave a call to her subjects, asking them to sharpen their weapons. To protect her people, she also built mud walls around her city.
Who was the heir apparent of the Magajiya?
Shortly after that, Amina was declared the heir apparent or ‘Magajiya’ and was inducted in the ruling cabinet. She was also presented with forty female slaves. Queen Bakwa Turunku was a powerful ruler under whose guidance Amina became efficient in political affairs. Concurrently, she received training in warfare.
Who introduced iron helmets and chain mail?
Part of the fortification, known as “ganuwar Amina,” stands till today. According to some historians, it was Queen Amina who introduced metal armor like iron helmets and chain mail as protection against enemies.
Did Queen Amina get married?
Although Queen Amina had numerous suitors, she never showed any interest in them and never got married. Instead, she took a new lover from every city she conquered, spending one night with him and then having him killed in the morning.
About
- Amina was the twenty-fourth habe, as the leaders of Zazzau were called. She is accepted to have been the granddaughter of King Zazzau Nohir. Theory proposes that she was conceived at some point during his rule, around 1533. This hypothesis loans trustworthiness to the conviction that Amina ruled Zazzau toward the finish of the sixteenth century. Th...
Early Life and Background
Her Influential and Legendary Works
What Queen Amina Was Famous for; Her Legend
