Zinder

Zinder stands among granite outcrops in the country of Damagaram, west of Bornu. Before it became a capital, the area contained several villages inhabited principally by Hausa, as well as Kanuri, Fulani and Tubu communities. From this setting grew a court whose rulers would extend their power over neighbouring districts.

In the early nineteenth century, Sélimane dan Tintouma established his seat at Zinder. His family traced its descent through local chiefs of Bornu, to which Damagaram remained linked. Sélimane conquered the older settlement of Damagaram and adopted its prestigious title; he also fought for control of Mirriah, placing a ruler there under his authority. His campaigns enlarged the state around Zinder while the town itself developed as the centre of the sultanate.