Talata Mafara

Talata Mafara is a town in the old Zamfara country, near the Sokoto River in western Hausaland. Its name recalls a Tuesday market where grain and manufactured goods were sold. Farmers, craftspeople and traders all contributed to the life of the market, which brought together the products of the surrounding countryside. Talata was among the principal towns of the historic Zamfara kingdom, whose rulers contended with the neighbouring powers of Gobir, Katsina and Kebbi. Its market formed part of a wider pattern of exchange among the communities of this region.