Architects: Amina, Queen of Zazzau

Womanica

Wonder Media Network and iHeartPodcasts

Society & Culture, Education, History

4.3 • 920 Ratings

🗓️ 24 March 2025

⏱️ 6 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Amina, Queen of Zazzau (c.1533-1610) was a Hausa leader in the city-state Zazzau (now city of Zaria in Kaduna State in Nigeria). To mark and protect her new lands, Amina had her cities surrounded by earthen walls. These walls became commonplace until the British conquest of Zazzau in 1904. Many of them survive today, known as “ganuwar Amina” (Amina's walls).

Transcript

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1:14.1	This month, we're talking about architects. These women held fast to their visions for better futures, found potential and negative space, and built their creations from the ground up.
1:24.1	Hundreds of years ago, a young woman came to rule the kingdom of Zazau in modern-day northern Nigeria.
1:31.0	As queen, she expanded the kingdom to the largest it had ever been and built earthen walls to surround and defend it.
1:38.4	Some of these walls, still standing today, are known as Amina's walls.
1:44.2	Please welcome Amina, Queen of Zazau.
	...

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