Zazzau

Zazzau, later Zaria, was the southernmost of the seven Hausa city-states. Its merchants traded captives from the southern grasslands north for salt and cloth, making the city a caravan junction.

Islam reached Zazzau from Kano and Katsina in the late 1450s. According to tradition, Queen Amina reigned from 1576 to 1610, led cavalry to the Niger-Benue confluence and made Kano and Katsina pay tribute; earthen fortifications bore her name. After her death Zazzau weakened and came under Jukun and Songhai influence in succession. The Fulani jihad replaced its Hausa dynasty with an emirate in 1805.