Kano

Kano State exists because a 7th-century ironworking settlement became the greatest trading city in the Sahel. Dala Hill's Nok culture community evolved into a Hausa capital by the 10th century, when King Gijimasu began constructing walls that would eventually stretch 12 miles, rise 50 feet, and protect Africa's most important trans-Saharan terminal. Kano connected North Africa to the West African coast, trading salt, hides, cotton textiles, and gold. Kurmi Market remains one of Africa's oldest and largest. Under the Sokoto Caliphate from 1809, Kano prospered as the commercial center - its cotton cloth reached Morocco and Timbuktu. The groundnut pyramids became Nigeria's most famous image of agricultural wealth: trader Alhassan Dantata invented the stacking system, each pyramid containing up to 15,000 bags awaiting rail export. A postage stamp commemorated them. But production collapsed in the 1970s-80s; the pyramids disappeared, replaced by buildings. Nigeria's second-largest city after Lagos, Kano is now a major industrial center. The Kofar Mata dye pits, centuries old and still operating, attract tourists studying traditional crafts. The ancient walls are on UNESCO's tentative heritage list. By 2026, Kano will leverage its trade heritage and population scale for commercial growth while groundnut agriculture stabilizes at lower volumes.