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1
Author: Babagana Abubakar
E-mail: babaganabubakar2002@yahoo.com
PERMANENT ADDRESS: ALHAJI BUKAR KUYA HOUSE, FEZZAN WARD,
MAIDUGURI, BORNO STATE, NIGERIA.
Tel: +2348062220179 Skype: babagana.abubakar
HISTORY AND MEANING OF
FEZZAN-MAIDUGURI AND FEZZAN
LIBYA
Introduction:
Fezzan is one of the present day regions of the republic of Libya it is
located in the southern part of Libya at Coordinates: 26.3328°N
13.4253°E and with an Area of 551,170 km². Fezzan is also known as
Fizzān written in Arabic as, the Othman Empire - Turkish call it
Fizan and its known as Phasania in the Latin, while the Ethiopians
write it as ፌዛን and the Greek spell it as Φέζαν.
2
Fezzan was a former territory of the Kanuri’s Kanem-Bornu Empire,
the Kanuri people of Kanem-Bornu ruled Fezzan of Libya for over 400
years starting from the era of His Majesty Mai Dunama Dibalmi
(Dibalemi) in the 13th century through the era of Mai Idris Alauma in the
17th century till towards the end of the Bornu’s Sayfawa Dynasty rule.
Fig.1: A Map of Libya showing the location of the Fezzan region, indicating some major cities and
neghbouring regions in Libya:
*FEZZAN
The name Fezzan has two different meanings as indicated below;
1. Fezzan means a Bird.
Fezzan it’s a name of a “Bird” and this Bird is of “gallinaceous
family”.
3
Gallinaceous birds are Birds of heavy-bodied, largely ground-
feeding domestic or game birds that include pheasant,
turkeys, grouse, partridges, and quail among others.
The Fezzan region is called Phasania or Phazania in Latin, because this
is the home of the largest concentration of the beautiful pheasant birds
in the whole of North Africa, and as indicated in the definition of Fezzan
above, the word pheasant is referring to any of numerous large, usually
long-tailed, old World gallinaceous birds or any of various other birds
that resemble or suggest a pheasant.
Fig. 2: A photo showing a Libyan Chaffinch bird which is among the gallinaceous birds found in
the Fezzan region (A) and type of similar bird (B):
A B
4
2. The second meaning of Fezzan is “Rough Rocks”.
This definition of Fezzan is with reference to the physical
geographical characteristics of this Fezzan-Libyan region having
many concentrations of rough rocks shaped by nature within it, so
as a result the scientist also named it as Fezzan. Generally, it’s
amazing having rough rocks within a desert region such as the
Sahara-Desert.
Fig. 3: Photos (A & B) Showing the images of Rough Rocks in Fezzan region:
A B
HISTORY OF FEZZAN-LIBYA & THE KANEM-BORNU EMPIRE:
The ancient Kanem-Bornu Empire in the 13th century under the rule of
the Kanuri king (Mai) with the name of Mai Dunoma Dibalemi (Dibalmi),
Fezzan became part of the mighty Kanem-Bornu Empire and Marks as
the Northernmost Boundary of this Kanuri lead empire.
(Zuwayla) located in Libya at (lat. 26° 11’ N., long. 15° 06’ E) was the
first mediaeval Islamic capital of the Fazzān region.
5
Zawīla was established probably in the early 2nd/8th century as it
didn’t yet exist in 46/666-7 when the Arab conqueror ʿUḳba b. Nāfiʿ
passed by the site, but had a century later become the center of the
region. Zawila was then dominated by Hawwāra Berbers,
predominantly Ibāḍīs.
However centuries later created remnants of the Kanuri culture, the
Kanuri language, Kanuri-Berber cultures as well as structures related to
the Kanuri people that are still existing or standing in the present day
Fezzan region of the Republic of Libya (
).
In the language classification system, the Kanuri people of Southern
Libya (Fezzan) of today are mostly more of the Tuda and the Tubu
(Tebu, Tibbu, or Toubou) extractions.
Fig. 4: Photos showing some Kanuri people of Fezzan reflecting Kanuri –Arab cultures of Fezzan -
Libya (A, B, C & D):
A B C D
The Fezzan-Libya region shared common borders with the then Roman
Empire (Italy) in North Africa at Northern Roman Libya and Tunis,
between the 13th to the late 15th centuries, remember that historically
Tunisia and northern Libya at Tripolitania as well as northern Cyrenaica
and parts of Egypt were all once under the Roman Empire’s territories.
However, in the late 15th century following the acquisition of Egypt by
6
the Ottoman Empire (Turks) which was also known as Constantinople
and now Turkey the Bornu Empire later shared same border with the
Turks.
It is important to note that when the Fezzan region was under Bornu
empire, the Bornu took absolute control of the main Trans-Saharan
trade route leading to the Roman Empire from West and the central
African regions, which seems to have maintained friendly relations with
the Hafsid dynasty of Tunis, who depends for some supplies from the
West and the Central African regions and also because of the
geographically-strategic location of Bornu empire in this part of Africa.
Tripolitania and Cyrenaica which were other regions in Libya under the
Romans, later came under the control of the Turks too and became the
Ottoman-Turkish province of northern Libya around the year 1551 until
1912.
Fig. 5: A map of Libya showing Tripolitania, Cyrenaica and Fezzan:
7
It was around the year 1556, that the Turks and the Mais of Bornu were
soon in contact, but the diplomatic relationship of the Bornu empire and
the Turks got very stronger under the rule of His Majesty Mai Idrīs
Alauma (Alooma) of the Bomu empire (on the throne in 1557–8), as
some newly found correspondence from the Ottoman Archives in
Istanbul makes it clear. There was certainly a friendly association
between Bornu and the Turks empires at this period, if not an actual
alliance, as Mai Idrīs established an international diplomatic relationship
with the Turks who were the Superpower of the World as at that time
which gave Bornu an advantage of International Alliance. In fact, during
this time there were cultural exchanges between the two kingdoms and
at each given time Bornu hosts permanent numbers of about 200 Turks
military personnel training its soldiers. Turkey and Istanbul in particular
till today holds verst history of Bornu empire, Kanuri people and the
Kanuri culture in their museams,libraries and related archieves.
Fig.6: Image of letters (A & B) of correspondence between Sultan Murad of the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) and Mai
Idris Alauma of the Kanem-Bornu in 16th century (This letter is now over 400 years old):
A
8
B
The above Letter was a part of letters of correspondence from Sultan Murad to Mai Alauma written on
23th May, 1577 and the letter translation in English reads as follows:
“We have promulgated and dispatched it (the letter)……a unique salutation the
fragrance of which spreads over the lands….greetings…to the most noble, the most
illustrious, the most magnificent, the rightly guided, the one aided by God, the helper
of the warriors among the believers, the supporter of the great men among the
adherents of the unity of God…..the possessor of the sovereignty and sanctity, the
ruler of the state of Borno at present King Idris (Mai Idris Alauma) may God
prolong his prosperity and make his aims successful.”
9
Zawila continue to remain the capital of Fezzan until the sixteenth
century when the Awlad Muhammad dynasty who ruled the area was
founded, with Murzuk becoming the capital of Fezzan and around 1565
it was ruled by Muhammad ibn al-Muntasir.
Much later Fezzan became a governorate within both Italian Libya and
the Kingdom of Libya, 1927-1963 during the colonial rule of Libya under
Italy. The French took over control of its capital city Murzuk on 16
January 1943. The French administered Fezzan, with a staff stationed in
Sabha.
Despite the breaking and inclusion of some parts of Fezzan-Libya, un to
Southern Algeria by the colonial societies during the colonial era in
North Africa, but yet the region is politically still remains a vast Area in
Libya, it included the districts of al Hayaa, Jufra , Wadi, Ghadames,
Murzuq, Sabha and Ghat. The largest city of the region in the present
time which is also its political and administrative center is the city
Sabha.
HISTORY OF THE CITY OF SABHA:
Sabha also known as Sebha /ˈsɛb.hɑː/ written in Arabic as Sabhā
and also written in Chinese as 萨卜哈 , is an oasis city located in
southwestern Libya, approximately 640 kilometers (400 mi) south of
Tripoli which can be classified as one of the ancient cities of the Bornu
empire rule in North Africa, because it was part of the ancient Kanem-
Bornu Empire’s territory under the Sayfawa dynasty between the mid-
13th to the early 17th centuries when the Kanuri’s empire of Bornu was
the authority ruling this entire Fezzan region.
10
Fig. 7: Photos Showing the city center of Sabha (A) and the Sabha International Airport (B):
A B
Sabha is presently serving as the Military Territory of Fezzan-Ghadames
which fetures on the Libyan postage stamp and is also the present capital
of the Sabha District.
Fig. 8: Photo showing a Libyan official postal stamp with the image of the Fezzan-Ghadames:
11
In historical times, Sabha was a major center for the KANEM-BORNU
Empire’s export caravans to Europe, North Africa, Middle East and the
Caucasus (Azerbaijan, Adjara, Abkhazia, Armenia etc.) regions. These
Kanem-Bornu exports were basically reaching the Romans, Egyptians,
Moroccans and Andalusians including the Granada area of Spain and the
city of Fatima in the present day Portugal within just days from Fezzan
(Sabha), while it takes weeks or even months in reaching the far
Caucasian countries of interests.
Bornu empire exports includes but not limited to perfume, wax, cotton,
ivory, ostrich, natron (sodium carbonate), parchment, ostrich feathers,
calabash pen quiver, arrow quiver, calabash bottles, horse saddles,
elephant tusks, reptile and hides among many others.
Fig. 9: Photos showing Images of Bornu made parchments (A & B) for exports to be use
for writing as papers in the ancient times:
A B
12
*The Bornu Empire was known in history for exporting the best quality of finished
products from Ostrich feathers since the 10th century.
Fig. 10: Photos showing Images of Bornu made decorative Ostrich feathers (A) Ostrich
feather Fan (B) and an Ostrich king size royal fan (C):
A B C
The Fezzan is associated with the history of many great personalities
with some of them having a place in the history Books of not only
Africa but the World at large; for instance, historians believed that this
region once hosted the great Umar Mukhtar also known as Omar al-
Mukhṭār Muḥammad bin Farḥāṭ al-Manifī (Arabic:
; 20 August 1862 – 16 September 1931), called The Lion of
the Desert. Umar Muktar stayed in Sabhar for sometimes during his
great struggles against the colonial invasion of his country Libya
especially during his fight against the French colonial forces who tried to
invade Southern Libya in the year 1900.
13
Fig. 11: A Photo showing the great Umar Mukhtar (Omar al-
al-) “The Lion of the Desert”:
Sabha was also a city where the most popular Libyan President Colonel
Muammar Gaddafi, grew up and received his secondary education and it
was in this city that he even later became involved in political activism
that paved way for him becoming the Libyan president while he was still
in the military service. Muammar Gadafi came in to contact with the
Kanuri culture in Sabha, and was influenced by their dresses and as a
result he occasionally wears the Kanuri dresses when he visits the
region:
14
The popular “Fort Elena castle” of Sabha brings a lot of tourists to
Sabha each year. The Fort Elena was previously known as Fortezza
Margherita, built during the Italian colonial period after the KANEM-
BORNU Empire left Libya.
Fig. 12: A photo of the Sabha city Fort Elena castle, which is the castle featured on the reverse
of the ten Dinars banknote (Currency/Money) of Libya:
Currently the Italian-built fort is a military institution. SABHA also host
UNICEF in the city. Sabha city has been involved with field studies in the
desert. There are numerous irrigation canals, which are used to provide
freshwater for growing crops in Sabha, so Sabha is an agricultural island
in the desert.
15
Fig. 13: The Photos of the Libyan currency (Ten Dinar) showing the images of the great Umar
Mukhtar in the front and the Elena castle on the reverse side:
In historical times, just like under the reign of the ancient Bornu empire,
Sabha also yet became a major center of the Libyan caravan trade after
the Romans, Bornu empire & the Turks left Libya.
The free encyclopedia indicated that Sabha served as a remote test site
for the Soviet Space program from the years 1984 to 1991.
Sabha its home to many beautiful Oasis in the midst of its famous desert
fields.
16
Fig. 14: A Photo of a Common Oasi s of Fezzan-Libya (Oasis are very common in Fezzan):
HISTORY OF MURZUQ CITY OF FEZZAN-LIBYA:
Murzuk, Murzuq, Murzug or Merzug which is written in Arabic as
and also written in Hindi as while it is written in the
Chinese language as 穆尔基 , is an oasis town and the capital of the
Murzuq District in the Fezzan region of southwest Libya, and its
presently one of the most important and most populated cities of the
Fezzan-Libya.
It was an important Caravan center for the Kanem-Bornu Empire since
the reigm of Mai Dunama Dbalmi.
17
Fig. 15: A portrait photographical illustration of ancient city of Murzuk under Mai Dunama
Dibalmi in the 13th century:
Murzuq city lies on the northern edge of the Murzuk Sand Sea known as
the Idhān Murzuk. The city of Murzuk is an ancient assembly place for
caravans travelling to and fro of Lake Chad (present North-Eastern part
of Nigeria) and the Niger River areas. Because of its importance it is
also called the “Paris of the Desert,” it was a base for Saharan explorers,
including the Germans Friederich Konrad Hornemann in 1798 and
Gustav Nachtigal in 1870–71.
Fig. 16: A photo of Murzuk city of Fezzan on the reverse side of the Libyan Currency One Quarter
Dinar (1/4 Dinar):
18
Fig. 17: A portrait photographical illustration of an ancient Murzuk Caravan under the reign of
His Majesty Mai Idris Alauma in the 17th century:
Murzuq was not occupied by the Italian colonial master of Libya during
the colonization of Africa by the Europeans until in the year 1914.
Geographically the southeast, Murzuq borders the Bourkou-Ennedi-
Tibesti Region of Chad, and to the southwest it borders the Agadez
territory of present day Niger republic. The border crossing to Niger is at
Tumu. Domestically, it borders Ghat in the west, Wadi al Hayaa in
northwest, Sabha in the northwest, Jufra in north and Kufra in the east.
Medieval historians recorded that Murzuk developed around an oasis
which served as a stop on the north-south trade route across the Sahara
Desert. From the 5th century BC to the 5th century AD, Marzuk was
home to the Garamantian Empire, a city state which operated the Trans-
Saharan trade routes between the Carthaginians—and later the Roman
Empire—and the Sahelian states of West and Central Africa.
19
Fig. 18: Photos of the Murzuq Mosque built by the Kanuri people construction started
under the reign of Mai Dala and Completed some few Years before the era of Mai Idris
Alauma in the year 1574:
Murzuk is linked to Sabhā the political capital of the Fezzan region, it is
located 85 miles (137 km) to the northeast.
The borders between Murzuq and Jufra districts was modified after
2007 administrative reorganization of Libyan Districts. Popular towns
around Murzuq district includes Qatrun, Al `Uwaynat (Sardalis), Al
Wigh, Qawat, and Tajarhi. The border settlement of Wath also serves
the district. Libya became independent in 1951 from the colonial
empire Italy and generally known for its oil rich resources.
Just like Sabha , Murzuk city is also associated to the history of many
great personalities that remained great in not only the history of the
Bornu Empire, but even in the history of Africa and the World at large,
for instance; Murzuq served as a home and a birth place to the first
leader (King) of Bornu Empire from the Elkanemi dynasty with the
name Shehu al-Hajj Muhammad al-Amîn ibn Muhammad al-Kânemî
written in Arabic as (1776–1837), Shehu Al
20
– Amin Elkanemi was born to a Kanuri-Kanembu father and an Arab
mother in the district of Murzuk.
Fig. 19: A Portrait of Shehu al-Hajj Muhammad al-Amîn ibn Muhammad al-Kânemî (The first
Shehu of Borno):
Following the loss in territorial control of the Fezzan region by some
post Mai Idris Alauma’s successors (Mais) of the Sayfawa dynasty
especially in the post Mai Muhammad VII Erghamma (1737-1752)
and Mai Ali IV ibn Haj Hamdun (1755-1793) eras ,later made the
Ottoman Empire asserted their control over the region in the absence
of their longtime friend and ally the Bornu Empire.
20. 19: Photos Showing different views of the city of Murzuq city (A.B & C):
A B C
21
The Fezzan region under the reign of the Turkish leader Abdulhamid II
(1876–1909) was used as a place for training soldiers on how to endure
the Sahara desert terrain, commercial purposes and as a place for
political exile for many Turks because it was the most remote province
from Istanbul-Turkey Empire (Ottoman Empire) considering its
geographical location from Istanbul.
Fig. 21: Photo of Abdulhamid II (Sultan of the Othman Empire (18761909):
The famous Turkish singer Mustafa Sandal's sang a song
about Fezzan in his album Kop which contains the lyrics
“Gelirim senle Fizan'a kadar” (I would come with you to the
Fezzan). This song was so popular in Turkey that it even
became a song for the Turkish national football team that
played in the Korea-Japan 2002 FIFA World-Cup where
Turkey finished in the 3rd position (Their best record ever in
Football).
22
THE INFLUNCE OF FEZZAN-LIBYA ON THE BORNO EMPIRE:
Note*
Actually, it’s because of the annexation of the Libyan-Fezzan region by
the ancient Bornu empire in history that made some Nigerian people of
Borno-State-Nigeria extraction as well as some from the Southern Chad
extractions, of today to still have some people of 'Bio-geographic racial'
backgrounds who possesses the features of both the Kanuri people
mostly blacks and the Arabs of north African origin who are mostly
lighter in skin complexion. Therefore, it is common in Borno state –
Nigeria to find Kanuri people with lighter skin in complexion, woolly
haired with pointed noses in appearance very similar to those of the
North African Arabs/Berbers. In fact, the first Shehu of Borno is of
lighter Skin in complexion and history describes him as an Arab man
because of his complexion while his father was of Kanuri- Kanembu
extraction.
Furthermore, apart from the Wasili people affiliated to the North Africa
or the Middle-East by origin, Borno State, also has its own indigenous
Arabs referred to as the Shuwa Arabs, because historically they did not
share connections with the present day Fezzan or North Africa but yet
they are also of lighter skin in complexion but mostly shorter than the
Wasilis. Furthermore, just like the Wasilis some of the Shuwa-Arabs,
also possesses many of these features, but the shuwas are more
culturally similar to the Kanuri culture in terms of their tribal Mark's,
dress codes, naming ceremonies, farming, names etc. but the Kanuri-
Arabs (Wasilis) are more culturally similar to the Arabs and the Barbars
of Egyptian, Algerian, Moroccan and Libyan extractions. Though many
Wasilis are now completely Kanuris because of intermarriages and very
long term ancestral histories with the Kanuris.
In view of the above the Kanem-Bornu Empire lives a cosmopolitan
lifestyle for more than a thousand years,with people of diverse 'Bio-
geographic racial’ backgrounds making up some portion of the
23
population and that is one of the greatest secrets that kept empire
blended, acceptable and intercultural friendly that keeps bringing
blessings to the kingdom economically, culturally and socially.
The present people of Fezzan Libya are the Tebu –Kanuri, Arabs,
Barbers, Boudouin and some few others.
In 2013, the first Toubou –Kanuri national festival was held in in the city
of Murzuq.
Fig. 22: People of different 'Bio-geographic racial complexions of Bornu origin (A, B, C, D):
A (Kanuri) B (Wasili) C (Shuwa-Arab) D (Bedouin)
In 2003, the municipality of Murzuk had 68 educational institutions,
1,277 classrooms and 3,009 teachers.
“Though it may sound a bit surprising, but it is yet
true that Nigeria, also once colonized another
24
country in history even though it was through the
ancient Kingdom of the Kanem -Bornu Empire”
Apart from the Fezzan of Libya, another Fezzan do exist in the city of
Maiduguri the present capital of Borno state in Nigeria.
This Fezzan of Maiduguri city is related to the Fezzan region of Libya,
though the Maiduguri-Fezzan is much younger.
HISTORY OF FEZZAN-MAIDUGURI AREA OF BORNU -NIGERIA
The Kanem-Bornu Empire at its peak of expansion between the 13th to
the 17th century was so big as such that it occupies an area equivalent
to 1/10 of the African continent as a whole, and as a result it has within
it people of different races, tribes as well as cultural backgrounds.
Among these peoples of this mighty empire are the Kanuris, Arabs,
Shuwas, Kotokos, Mandaras,Babur, Ngizim, Bolewa ,Chibock, Marghi,
Kanakuru and others. However, apart from the Kanuri people who
were basically engaged 100% in the political and administrative
activities of running this Empire, Arabs were the second most
influential people in this kingdom, because of their dominant roles of
controlling the Trans-Saharan Caravans trade routes that the Bornu
empire depended upon for centuries in terms of her imports and
exports of traded goods.
25
The Arabs were able to control this very historically important Trans-
Saharan trading activities because of their inherited skills in
international trading, ability to own Camels in large quantities as well as
understanding the geography of the Sahara-Desert more than or better
than every other tribes of the Sahara- desert and yet they had the
wealth and the ability to buy and sell internationally.
Fig. 26: A photographical Map of the historical Trans-Saharan trade routes connecting the Bornu
Empire with Europe, Middle Eastern countries and North Africa:
Furthermore, apart from agriculture these Trans-Saharan trading
activities generates more revenue than any other single activities going
on within the Sahara Desert, and as a result all the Kings (Mais or
Shehus) gives the Trans-Saharan traders prestige at all times in many
ways including providing special assistances that ensures sustainability
of this Trans-Saharan trade.
26
In view of the above the Arab merchants were historically and usually
allocated special areas favourable to their Trans-Saharan trade at all
times and in all the previous capitals of the Bornu empire including
Njimi, Ngazargamu, Kukawa, Monguno and presently Yerwa
(Maiduguri).
It is possible that this Trans-Saharan trader’s areas in the previous
capitals were called with other names, but when the Arab residential
area was created in Maiduguri some 100 years back the name Fezzan
was given to it in reference to the Fezzan region of Libya and since
them this Arab Merchants Residential Area became known with the
name of Fezzan till today.
The location of Fezzan-Maiduguri:
The Maiduguri’s Fezzan area is located within the present boundaries of
Shehuri South ward and the Hausari ward (from East to West) and
within the popular Dandal way and the Kalumari/Makera road (from
North to South). Though the physical areal description of Fezzan
changes over time depending on the creations of new political wards in
Maiduguri (Yerwa) under different administrations.
The Fezzan area of Maiduguri was founded at the beginning of the
founding of the city of Maiduguri around the year 1907 with the
assistance of the British colonial authorities who were just arriving in
the new Bornu area after the death of Rabih Fadallah, who terrorized
the former capital (Kukawa) of the empire, but got killed in the year
1900 by the French authorities at Kousiri town presently in the republic
of Cameroon.
27
FOUNDING FATHERS OF FEZZAN:
Amazingly the founding fathers of Fezzan were also part of the
founding fathers of Yerwa itself.
Yerwa is the ancient old name of Maiduguri.
The history of Fezzan-Yerwa cannot be told without including the name
of Al-Hadj (Sheikh/Sayinna) Ali Dinami who was one of the very first
settlers of Yerwa and also later among the first settlers of the Fezzan-
Yerwa area.
Ali Dinami, was an Islamic scholar born of a Kanuri father an Arab
mother of Fezzan Libyan origin in the ancient city of Kukawa. He was
said to be a childhood friend and age mate to His Majesty Shehu
Hashim ibn Muhammad El-kanemi who ruled Bornu between the years
“1885- 1893”.
Just like Shehu El-Amin Elkanemi the first Shehu of Bornu Al-Hadj Ali
Dinami was also a Kanuri –Arab, because he was a man with an Arab
complexion; he had fair skin complexion, he was wooly haired and a
tall man of an average height of North African Arab. This was the
reason why many believed that he was of complete Arab descendent
while he was of mixed race (Kanuri and Arab). His father was a great-
great grand-son of His Majesty Mai Idris Alauma of the Sayfawa
dynasty who ruled the Burnu empire in the sixteenth century, while his
mother was of the Berber –Arab of Fezzan-Libya by origin.
Dinami left Kukawa at the beginning of the Rabih insurgency in the
1890s to the unfounded open field area of a place that would later
become the city of Yerwa. On arrival to this unfounded land of Yerwa ,
he established a Sangaya (local Quranic education) school and his
house at the exact spot where the present day Shehu’s Palace is
located in the heart of present day Maiduguri.
28
Rabih Fadlallah, eventually destroyed the ancient city of Kukawa in
1893 with His Majesty Shehu Hashim bin Umar al-Kanemi as the last
Shehu of Bornu with Kukawa as his capital. This was the reason why
Bornu empire royal family and their followers were then forced out of
Kukawa and began to search for a suitable location as the new capital
for Bornu until the discovery of the Ali Dinami’s open field which
eventually became Yerwa the present capital of the Bornu empire in
the year 1907. However, before the discovery of Yerwa places like
Monguno, Dikwa and others were also short term capitals of the
kingdom on temporary basis.
Historically, it was after the final partition of Bornu among the British,
the French, and the Germans, that His Majesty Shehu Bukar Garbai ibn
Ibrahim of blessed memories relocated in the year 1902 to Northern
Nigeria and was recognized as the Shehu of British Bornu. Bornu was
thus acknowledged as an emirate, but it was from the ancient city of
Monguno that Shehu Garbai moved his headquarters to Kukawa first in
the year 1904 and, finally, to Yerwa in 1907.
WHY WAS THE NEW CAPITAL CALLED YERWA ?
When Shehu Garbai arrived at the hamlet (the open field) of Ali Dinami
known as “Moromti “on his way searching for suitable location for his
new capital with the intention of passing by the Moromti, the two met,
and that was their first contact since Al-Hadj Ali Dinami left Kukawa at
the beginning of the 1890s. It was Ali Dinami then that convinced the
Shehu to change his mind in continuing on his search towards other
locations, but instead chooses the Moromti & its surrounding
environment as his new capital and the Shehu agreed.
29
The conversation that created the name Yerwa:
When His Majesty met with Dinami, who was so happy in seeing the
Shehu himself in his little compound, warmly and respectfully
welcomed him to the area; he then asked his Majesty on the purpose of
his visit & passing by the Shehu replied that he was on a mission in
finding a suitable location to establish his new capital , Ali Dinami then
replied him in his knowledgeable position as a scholar and told him in
the Kanuri language saying that “NA AD3 HERRA (Herwa) KURU HER-
LAN HUWUDA KOZUNA ” literally meaning that “this place you are
standing-on is a blessed land and it is more blessed than the next
location you are heading to”. Meaning he (the Shehu) should settle
here on this land as his new capital and amazingly the Shehu agreed
with his suggestion.
It was in view of the above discussion between His Majesty Shehu
Bukar Garbai and Al-Hadj Ali Dinami that the name “Yerwa” was coined
out of the word Herra to name the new capital as Yerwa which later
became known as Maiduguri.
So the word Herra was first coined in to Herwa and later Yerwa to
name the city of YERWA.
HERRA = HERWA = YERWA
=
=
30
Fig. 23: Photos of Shehu Bukar Garbai ibn Ibrahim (A & B) in the early 1900s:
A B
Since then the new capital of Bornu came to be known as Yerwa until
the year 1957 when the British (who was then the colonial masters of
Bornu-Nigeria) made Yerwa became the designated name for the urban
center, while Maiduguri was officially applied as the name of the
surrounding rural areas.
The name Maiduguri itself was extracted from the name Old Maiduguri
which was already in existence even before Yerwa was founded. If you
need to know more about the meaning of Maiduguri, then please refer
to the publication (Origin and Meaning of Maiduguri,2017).
THE CREATION OF FEZZAN:
Immediately the Shehu chooses Yerwa as his new capital then out of
respect and understanding Al-Hadj Ali Dinami, also requested the
Shehu to choose his spot (Moromti) as a suitable location to build his
palace m because the position was so suitable for a Shehu’s palace
which the Shehu agreed and the the Shehu compensated Dinami, with
31
another Land to re-build his Sangaya school and house within the
present day area of Fezzan.
Fig. 24: A Photo of the Shehu palace Maiduguri built in the year 1907 by the British at the
beginning of Yerwa - the new capital of Bornu:
Al-Hadj Ali Dinami used this new space area allocated to him to rebuilt
his school, house and used the remaining space area to create the most
important Caravan Park in the history of Yerwa (Maiduguri city) which
served as the gateway to all international goods coming into Yerwa
from the north African region and beyond.
HISTORY OF THE POLITICAL STRUCTURE OF FEZZAN:
Fezzan was created as an affluent area around the new lands of Ali
Dinami as an affluent area for the Arab Merchants in Bornu.
32
Fezzan from inception is the only part of Maiduguri that never hosted
members of the royal family or the Kanuri natives as administrators
(traditional administrator) to directly administer them. This was
because the residents of Fezzan were given the rights to govern
themselves by the Shehu from the beginning. So as a result all the
Lawans (Head of Fezzan) were from the Arab machants locally known
as the Wasilis by the Kanuris.
This title of Lawan had been rotating amongst the Wasili-Arabs until the
last Lawan from this Wasili chain of succession with the name of Alhaji
Yusuf Wasili also known as Yusuf ad-Duwair and called by others as
Yusuf Banawair (of blessed memories) decided to retire on his own
from this position in the late 1960s and hand over the baton for the
first time to a non-Arab decedent in Fezzan.
Al-Hadj Yusuf ad-Duwair, was the father of Alhaji Baba Kura Yusuf also
of blessed memories. Alhaji Baba Kura was considered as one of the
very few personalities that were connected to the two Fezzans (Fezzan
of Libya and Fezzan of Maiduguri), because his ancestors just like the
first Shehu of Borno Shehu El-Amin Elkanemi were of Fezzan-Libyan
origin while Bakura Yusuf himself was of Fezzan Maiduguri origin,
because he was born, raised and lived all his life in Fezzan Maiduguri.
During his life time he served as one of the most respected elders of
Fezzan and participated in all activities related to the promotion and
development of the Fezzan area and because of his roles to the Fezzan
community he was nicknamed as ‘Shugaba” in the Hausa language
which literarily translates as a “Leader” in the English language.
33
Fig. 25: A photo of Alhaji Baba Kura Yusuf (of blessed memories) the Son of Yusuf ad-
Duwair:
Fezzan from the beginning & the Fezzan caravan park:
Writing the history of Fezzan-Maiduguri without mentioning the
“Fezzan Caravan park” is like talking about Lagos city without talking
about its Seaports or Paris without talking about its Eiffel tower.
As earlier indicated above Fezzan was an area created around the same
time the city of Yerwa was founded, Fezzan was carved out within the
city center of Yerwa as an affluent area for the international rich
merchants mainly Arabs and as an affluent area Fezzan started as the
most expensive part of Maiduguri to own a house, shop or land. It was
predominantly Arabs who were engaged in international trading. It was
because of the very high profitability in the international Trans-Saharan
trade that the Arabs were mostly engaged-in during the early days of
Yerwa, gave the Arabs the advantage to be very rich among the people
34
of Yerwa and were able to buy lands in Fezzan, build their houses,
develop the area and live as the dominant population of in Fezzan.
However, despite the affluent nature of Fezzan Al-Hadj Ali Dinami was
able to create a very big open space as a Camel Caravan park within
Fezzan from his Land. This Land was to be used as a Park for the Camels
conveying Caravans of goods coming mostly from North Africa or even
Europe and the Middle East. This gave the Fezzan merchants the
advantage of receiving their cargo (goods) at the comfort of their
homes or in front of their shops close to their homes or attached to
their houses.
Location of the Fezzan Caravan Park:
Though this Caravan park no longer exists or feasible in the Fezzan area
of today, but it once stands directly opposite the present day Alhaji
Abrass (Aburos) Mosque & the Aburos house (The Aburos Mosque is
the oldest still standing brick built Mosque in the middle of the present
day Fezzan).
Size of the Caravan Park:
The Fezzan Caravan park was approximately the size of 105 by 68
meters (115 yds. × 74 yd) with an area of 7,140 square meters (76,900
sq ft; 1.76 acres; 0.714 ha) located in the heart of Fezzan.
The Fezzan-Caravan park was used as a Caravan terminus for Camels
arriving from the North African countries of Algeria, Libya, Tunisia,
Egypt and Morocco conveying European, middle eastern, Turkish and
even Chinese goods coming from or through the Trans-Saharan trade
routes linking Bornu (The Fezzan Caravan Park) and the North African
countries through the historic Trans-Saharan trade routes located
within the Sahara sesert of Africa.
35
Fig. 27: A photographical illustration of the Ali Dinami’s Fezzan Caravan - Park in 1909:
This Fezzan Caravan terminus can host between an average of 150 to
200 Camel Caravans per day but at different times. In the event that
the arriving Caravans were more than the capacity expected the Camels
were normally made to wait for their turns in their queues at the
outskirt of the city of Yerwa.
The Caravan park at its peak was then the pride of Fezzan and even
Yerwa as it serves as the gateway for goods reaching Bornu from all
international destinations equivalent to the present day Seaport
importing goods in to Nigeria via the Lagos-Apapa Seaport or the Tincan
Island port.
36
Over 90% of foreign goods imported in to Yerwa between 1909-1932,
before the Nigerian rail system got connected to the North-Eastern part
of Nigeria were through the Trans-Saharan trade routes and the Fezzan
park to be precise.
Fig. 28: Photos of typical Camel Caravans conveying different products to Yerwa (A) and a photo
of Arabs Camel riders crossing the desert (B) :
A B
Types of Goods passing through the Fezzan Caravan parks:
Many different types of goods ranging from business goods, personal
belongings, special orders by the royal families and even human
passengers passed through the Fezzan park. But the regular goods
coming –in via the Park on daily basis were the business-goods which
included but not limited to clothing materials, lanterns, mirrors,
parchments, bottles, silver, sulfur, books, needles, jewelries, carpets,
buttons, shoes, Spaghetti making machines (Injin Dawudeye or Injin
Taliyaye ), stitching machines of the 1920s (Keke), watches, clocks ,
local cloth irons and even electrical items such as batteries and radios
others included foods and beverages such as olives, apples, olive oil,
wheat and umbrellers among many others.
37
Fig. 29: Photos of products imported in to Yerwa in the 1920s through Fezzan Park: Lantern (A),
Stitching machine (B), Spaghetti machine (C) and Cloth pressing iron (D):
A B C D
Most Wasili-Arabs of Fezzan were professionals in trading in more than
one variety of goods in their shops at a time; for example, you can find
a trader selling lanterns, bottles, silver, spaghetti machines,
parchments, needles, jewelries, carpets, buttons, shoes, watches,
clocks, batteries and many others at a time and in his single shop then.
The locals called this type of trading in multiple goods at a time as the
“Fatke” trading and the person who is engaged in this type of trading is
called a “Fatkema” in the Kanuri language, while in the Hausa language
it is called “Koli” and the person engaged in this type of trading is called
“Dan-Koli”.
So the Wasilis of Fezzan were the original Fatkemas, before the locals
(Kanuri people of Yerwa) inherit it from them. The Wasilis were
engaged in these Fatke trading because of the challenges involved in
crossing the Sahara Desert to bring in these goods to the southern
Saharan centers of trade like Yerwa, so generally it is not viable crossing
the desert with a single type of goods when the market remains
38
unpredictable, as a result a single trader crosses the Sahara-Desert with
multiple goods at a time so that whatever a customer comes to buy
from him he always has it.
Amazingly because of the advantage of having the Fezzan Caravan park
located in Fezzan and having the Fezzan Arab population who were
having closer cultural ties with the Italian communities living close to
their ancestral lands in North Africa, made the Maiduguri Fezzan Kanuri
women as the first set of Kanuri women in the Kanuri lands and even in
Nigeria as a whole to start making the Italian food generally known as
the local Spaghetti though the Fezzan women then decided and named
it as “Dawude” because they produced their owned spaghetti- food
from flour 100% by themselves and in accordance to their tastes.
Apart from processing the “Spaghetti –Dawude” the Fezzan Kanuri
women also acquired the skill of making other Arab-Wasili foods
including the making of Alkaki, Garafia, Sinasir and many others. As a
result, many Kanuri food experts concluded that the Fezzan women are
mostly the best in making Dawude and Garafia among the Kanuri
communities.
Culturally there were many cultural assimilations that happened
between the Wasili and the Kanuri cultures in Fezzan-Yerwa over the
period of time that continue to make everybody happy.
39
Fig. 30: Images of Kanuri foods with links to the Romans (Italians) and the Arabians; Dawude (A),
Garafia (B) & Alkaki (C):
A B C
FEZZAN CARAVAN PARK & EXPORTS:
The Fezzan Caravan park was also used for exports of goods from Bornu
to Europe, the Middle east and Turkey through the North African
countries of Libya, Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt in addition to Sudan and
also to Ethiopia. The goods exported through the Fezzan Caravan park
included Cotton, perfume, wax, ostrich related products (such as
Ostrich eggs, feather and royal ostrich fans) others included Bornu
made Parchment, Calabash Pen Quiver, Gum-Arabic, Arrow Quiver,
Horse saddles, Potassium-Nitrates and sometimes even reptile
skins/hides as well as human passengers travelling to North Africa via
the Trans-Saharan trade route but using the Fezzan Park as a departure
point or terminus among many other export activities.
Between the years 1911 to 1934 the Caravan park was the leading
revenue generating property for the Bornu authorities and source of
livelihood for the Fezzanians of Fezzan, as a result Al-Hadj Ali Dinami
became one of the wealthiest person in Bornu and one of the most
40
popular sons of Bornu to the great trading merchants of North Africa
patronizing the Trans-Saharan route.
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE TRANSFORMATIONS OF FEZZAN SINCE THE BEGINNING:
By the mid-1920s the Wasilis transformed the Fezzan area in to a city
within the city of Yerwa as such that the Yerwa locals nicknamed the
area as “Fezzan Lan Tala Ba” literally meaning “Fezzan the Land of no
Poor Man”. Some parts of Fezzan then had a resemblance of the city of
Cairo in accordance to historians, because most of the houses were
made of ancient Cairo burnt styles and some houses had resemblances
of different types of North African traditional style of houses as the
the Wasilis of Fezzan were of different ancestral backgrounds for
instance in Fezzan we have the Wasilis of Libyan origin who were the
majority and we also have the Wasilis of Algerian, Tunisian, Egyptian,
Lebanese and Yemenis origins.
Each Wasili house in Fezzan reflects the ancestral history of the owner
of the house as each owner wants to build in relations to his ancestral
building styles.
Most Wasili houses of olden days Fezzan were mostly big with Super
pallor as entrance known by the natives as “Shoro Chinnaye”.
Apart from the Shehu’s Palace, the city Museum, central mosque, the
British colonial structures and some few other royal houses in Yerwa,
Fezzan was the only area dominated with burnt red Brick structures.
The red bricks then were so expensive to build houses with it so people
find it difficult to build their houses with it, amazingly over 90% of the
Wasili houses in Fezzan were made of the burnt red bricks even as at
1915.
.
41
Fig. 31: Photos of the different types of burnt bricks (A, B &C) used in building houses and other
structures in Fezzan of the 1920s:
A B C
Remnants of these Wasili-Arab structures made from bricks are still
standing in some parts of Fezzan of today as at the time of conducting
this research work, for instance the Aburos mosque and the Alhaji
Yusuf Wasilis main house, as well as some of the historically Arab Shops
between Fezzan and Monday market are also still standing in their
original burnt brick structures, though some whitewashed the bricks
with other materials beyond recognition unless carefully observed.
The Fall of the Fezzan-Caravan Park:
The completion of the Nguru (N’guru) Railway terminus in Nguru town
(located @ coordinate: ) of the old Borno state
and presently located in Yobe state of Nigeria in 1930, diverted most of
the Trans-Saharan imports and exports activities away from the Trans-
Saharan trade routes and that seriously affected the role of Fezzan as a
gateway of foreign goods coming in to Yerwa and this marked the
beginning of the fall of the Ali Dinami’s Fezzan Caravan Park as a
gateway of goods in to or out of Bornu, as the Park cannot compete with
the Railways and Railway terminus enjoying favoring policies of the
British administration during the colonial rule.
42
Fig. 32: Photos (A & B) showing images of the N’guru terminus and one of the trains used in
conveying goods from Nguru to the Southern Nigeria’s Seaports or vice versa:
A B
In view of the above, activities in the Fezzan Caravan park was on a fast
decline as such that it made the Park unviable within just two years of
commissioning the Nguru terminus that was commissioned in 1930.
Around this time Al-HadjAli Dinami was feeling his age and cannot just
jump in to starting the modern import and export trading’s using the
Railways that was just arriving in the North-East as a result he then sold
this Fezzan park in 1936 to his Son in-law who was a Kanuri man
known as Alhaji Muhammad Abrass (Bala’aji Abrass) and the Shuwa
people called him Alhaji Muhammad Aburos but his original name was
Muhammad ibn Muhammad.
Alhaji Abrass was a Kanuri man of Kanuri parents born in the ancient
city of Kukawa , but left Kukawa after Rabi destroyed the city in 1893
together with the Shehus to all the locations that the Shehus lived in like
Monguno, Dikwa and others before finally relocated to Yerwa when the
city was founded.
Though Alhaji Abrass bought the Caravan park in the year 1936, but
elders of Fezzan proved that he relocated to Fezzan long before he even t
purchased the Park, because history shows that he married Aisa Aliram
43
the only daughter of Al-Hadj Ali Dinami who was later to be known as
Kaka Hajja Aisa Aliram while he was in Fezzan. Many said that Alhaji
Abrass was the first Kanuri Man to live among the Arabs of Fezzan.
When he bought the Fezzan park that gave him an age ahead of other
residents living in Fezzan despite the fact that the Park was silent and
dried up as at the time he bought it. Alhaji Aburos was also the first
Kanuri man to become a Fatkema in Yerwa, as he acquired the skills of
doing the Fatke trading from the Wasili people of Fezzan and as a result
he got involved in the Camel Caravan trading business himself at early
days of Fezzan.
Despite the fact that the Camel Caravan trading was no longer viable at
this time but Alhaji Aburos and some few other Fatkemas continued
with their Trans-Saharan Camel Caravan trading but on selected goods
that doesn’t comes via the Nigeria’s rail system.
His Caravans arrives from North Africa on bi-weekly basis, as a result
he was able to maintain and continue with his Fatke trading business
without problem, and this made him the most famous Fatkema in the
whole of the Kanuri Lands (North-Eastern Nigeria, Western- Niger,
Southern Chad-Chad and Northern-Cameroon) as early as the 1930s.
Alhaji Aburos built a brick mosque immediately he purchased the
Caravan Park directly opposite the Caravan park in the same year of
1936. This was to enable visitors and passengers arriving at the Park to
be praying in it, as Ali Dinami was using his Sangaya school as a
Mosque while he owns the Fezzan Park.
This Abuross Mosque still stands in the middle of Fezzan and it is still
known as the Aburos Mosque.
This Mosque is considered to be one of the oldest still standing Mosque
not only in Fezzan, but the whole of Maiduguri.
44
Though the mosque is still in its original burnt bricks form, but it was
whitewashed with cemented material from the outside as a form of
preservation in 1974 by late Alhaji Umar Na Alhaji Lawan of blessed
memories.
Fig. 33: Photos (A & B) showing the Alhaji Aburos Mosque in the middle of Fezzan area of
Maiduguri-Nigeria:
A B
The Return of the Fezzan Camel Caravan Park:
Unfortunately, nine years after the take up of the N’guru railway
terminus that forced the Fezzan Caravan activities to drastically be on
the decline and even almost disappeared in the 1930s, the Second World
war started on 1st September, 1939.
Two years in to the war all Trans-Atlantic trading activities and west
African seaports operations were disrupted within the period of this war
that lasted until 2nd September, 1945.
45
The war affected almost all parts of the World including Europe,
Australia, Asia, South America, Central Africa, North America and
some parts of North Africa. In fact, even the places that were not
affected by the war were somehow connected to the war, for instance
even hinterland city like Maiduguri hosted some of the soldiers involved
in the war. Though their presence served as an advantage to the city as
they provided security to the city.
Fig. 34: Photos of the World war soldiers and locals of Yerwa (Maiduguri) in June 1943 (A)
American soldier pose for a Photo in Maiduguri in 1943 (B) and Military plane at Maiduguri
Airport and local enjoying the view with his Camels while chatting with the pilot (C):
A B C
In just six months in to the war all the Seaports in Nigeria Cameroon,
Ghana and others became almost defective as imports and exports
activities were no longer active in them, goods from the seaports stopped
reaching the hinterlands of both the West and Central African regions,
this made hinterland commercial capitals like Kano, Ibadan,Enugu, ,
Mubi, Zaria and Jos in Nigeria and Garoua, Marwa, Kousri ,
Pumbam,Yaounde and Ngaoundare in Cameroon as well as Ndjemena,
Mao , Mandou,Pala,Doba and Sarh in Chad all started drastically
declining in their status as commercial centers in just 10 months in to the
war.
46
Surprisingly during the War when other hinterland commercial towns
and cities were drastically declining in their commercial values, but this
marked the beginning of prosperity to the city of Yerwa /Maiduguri, as
this city became the dependent commercial city of the hinterland
communities and attend the status of a commercial nerve centers to
other previously pre-Second World War nearby commercial nerve
centers of the hinterlands within the Central and West African regions,
and even extended to some coastal cities in the two regions. Because
Maiduguri became the main source of goods supplies to many cities and
communities during the war.
What Made Maiduguri, a Commercial Nerve-Center During the
Period of the Second World War ?
As earlier stated above when Alhaji Muhammad Abrass bought the
Fezzan Caravan Park in 1936, the golden age of this Caravan Park was
over and it was mainly Akhaji Abrass himself that remained the major
merchant using his own Park to bring in Caravans to Yerwa. He imports
goods originating from Libya and southern Algeria with an average of
between 300 to 500 camels per month.
Alhaji Abrass noticed that the demands for his goods started increasing
geometrically in just 5 months in to the war, as a result by January 1940
he doubled his average Caravan imports to 1000 Camel Caravans per
months, but yet by June of that same year he discovered that he was only
getting much wealthier than meet up with the multiplying market
demands despite doubling his imports capacity, that was because most of
the hinterland commercial cities depending on the Seaports were no
longer receiving goods through the Seaports as the Atlantic trade were
disrupted and most hinterlands were getting out of stocks and the only
option is to look inward for alternative sources of supplies. So they
strategically focused on popular historically hinterland towns and cities
sitting on the advantage of the old Trans-Saharan trade routes that
sustains them for centuries which the city of Yerwa was one of them.
This situation pushed traders from Kano, Yola, Mubi, Zaria in Nigeria
47
plus places like Garoua, Maroua, Kousri, Pumbam, and Ngaoundare in
Cameroon in addition to Ndjemena, Mao, and Sarh in Chad and even
as far as Kumasi Ghana began to patronize Yerwa for their goods
supplies during this very difficult and very hard times.
Though the North African region where the city of Maiduguri sources
for its goods were also directly affected by the War, but the impacts of
the war in North Africa were mainly concentrated on the coastal parts
rather than the hinterlands, the hinterlands of the region were not
affected as such and this was what made the hinterland areas of North
Africa became the sources of goods supplies to Yerwa while Alhaji
Abrass remained the major importer of goods to Yerwa at this time
through reviving the already decaying Trans-Atlantic trade route of the
old Bornu empire.
Yerwa was able to get all its needs in terms of goods from North Africa
mostly originating from the Fezzan region areas of Libya and Algeria
which were part of the ancient Kanem-Bornu empire.
The flow of all goods to Yerwa remains almost as usual with the
exception of the European made products which are mostly machines
such as the clocks, tailoring machines and spaghetti machines among
some few others, but almost all agrarian related products such as cloths,
barley and wheat products and some Asian manufactured products kept
coming to Yerwa nonstop, and equally goods from Yerwa like horse
saddles, cotton, Ostrich related products, reptiles and others were also
exported to North Africa during this difficult period in return.
This goods supplies or exchanges between Maiduguri and hinterland
North Africa was blessed and continues to be possible because of the
economic principle of comparative advantage which tents to shape the
hinterlands of both the Lake Chad region and North Africa to specialize
in different products, that what Maiduguri had the North Africans need it
and what the North African had Maiduguri also needs it, hence the
exchanges of goods became the order of the day during this war.
48
Much later Yerwa was even supplying raw materials like cottons to
some North African countries apart from Egypt and same cottons comes
back as woven cloths from North Africa. The trick as earlier said was
about interdependency because Yerwa gives to the North African
hinterlands what they do not have and the North Africa also sent back to
Yerwa what Yerwa doesn’t have in return. This even includes skills of
processing some raw materials in Yerwa in to finished products and
return back to hinterland North Africa and vice versa.
Fig. 35: Photos of different types of the second World war era Camel Caravans conveying
different products to and fro Yerwa (A, B & C):
A B C
By early 1941 when the war was in its second year and the demands for
goods on Yerwa by the neighboring and distant towns and cities both
within and outside Nigeria, further multiplied beyond the capacity of
Alhaji Abrass, even as he crosses over 1000 Camel Caravans per month
at this time, the situation made Alhaji Abrass to contact his retired old
trading partners of early Fezzan-Trans Saharan trading days who were
either no longer in the Trans-Saharan trading businesses or relocated
back to North Africa when the Nguru terminus was opened, to come
back to the Trans-Saharan trade again in order to meet up with this
unusual growing demands for the Trans-Saharan trade goods. This
partnership helped as many of them returned back to the Fezzan-Trans
Saharan trade again and as a result the numbers of the Camel Caravan
coming to Yerwa increases to between 3 to 4 thousand Caravan Camels
per month, making Yerwa economically viable and once again a
49
gateway of goods to many towns and cities across Nigeria, Cameroon,
Chad and even Bangui of Central African Republic.
Back home in Yerwa Alhaji Aburos also formed the Fatkema cycle,
which is a group made up of his relations and friends that engaged in the
distribution, trading, as well as sourcing of all of their imports and
exports goods. His first point of contact in this regard was to his closest
relation Alhaji Mai Deribe of blessed memories and Alhaji Tujjaima and
then Mamman Mansoor, Al-Hadj Hadi (an Arab of Fezzan Yerwa),
Alhaji Fatime Longoi, Malum Bukar Baktaba, Alhaji Babor Bandaye
and Alhaji Yerima.
These great personalities made history, as they became the pride of not
only Fezzan, Yerwa or Nigeria, but they remain in history as the pride to
humanity itself as their efforts in keeping the flow of the Trans-Saharan
goods supplies helped prevented many communities going hungry,
starvation and generally speaking they also helped in minimized the
devastating impacts of the Second World War that crippled the
economies of the greater part of the World on the vulnerable hinterland
communities that depended on Maiduguri during the war.
This Fatkema cycle was further expanded in the 1950s and early 1960s
to include a Kano based business man with the name of Alhaji Ali Dajah
others include Alhaji Mala Sherriff, Alhaji Usman Dankoli, Alhaji Modu
Kaajima and Alhaji Mamman Fatkema and some others not mentioned
here.
However, by the year 1944 Alhaji Abrass became so wealthy that he
planned to establish a second Camel Caravan park in Yerwa, as a result
he bought the Lands where presently the Sanda Kyarimi school and the
old Borno Museum areas are standing along the Custom -Bama road in
Yerwa, though before the completion of his proposed plans on that the
Second World war came to an end in the year 1945 and by 1946 the Rail
lines were back again.
50
The status of the Fezzan Caravan park as a gateway of goods in to
Yerwa finally came to an end by 1947, because it cannot compete with
the Seaports well connected to hinterlands by their Rail lines.
Alhaji Aburos later converted the Fezzan Caravan Park in to a Fezzan
Truck Park based on the advice of Alhaji Mai Deribe in 1947 instead of
the Park to remain unviable. As a result, a portion was carved out to
become the Fezzan Truck Park and this new Park then began to host
trucks instead of camels and the Fezzan truck park became a terminus
connecting to other destinations including Kano, Zaria, Nguru, Geidam,
Monguno, Dikwa etc.
Alhaji Mai Deribe and Alhaji Ibrahim M. of Shehuri North were the first
two indigenous Kanuri persons in history to open transport companies
and were the first to owned trucks in the North-East.
Alhaji Mai Deribe is one unforgettable great personality of Fezzan,
because he participated in all the trading that Fezzan hosted ranging
from the Trans-Saharan to the Transport and later he became the largest
employer of the people of Fezzan and much later he became the largest
employer of labour in entire Nigeria outside governments in the 1980s.
The Fezzan Transport park functioned very effectively and it had helped
the Maiduguri community in many ways since 1947 until the year 1963,
when the city of Maiduguri got her own railway terminus that took over
the powers of the Fezzan park once again like before, but only never to
bounced back again at this time.
Alhaji Aburos finally completely converted the Fezzan Park area in to a
residential area as the Park can’t compete with the Railway that arrived
Maiduguri in the early 1960s.
That was how the Fezzan Caravan Park completely disappeared in the
map of Fezzan-Maiduguri as an open field that was once used as a
Camel Caravan Park and later a Truck Park and even served as gateway
to the economy of Yerwa since the creation of Yerwa that later became
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known as Maiduguri which still remains the capital of Bornu and later
Borno state till today
Fig. 36: A Photo showing the Maiduguri Railway terminus that was commissioned in the
year 1963 (A) and a photo of one of the trains that served Maiduguri (B):
A B
Note *
The existence of the Fezzan Caravan park from inception of
Yerwa made Maiduguri emerged as an important center of
commerce within the entire West and the Central African
sub-regions and that’s the reason why till today Maiduguri
remains the center of commerce to not only towns and cities
of Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Sudan, Central Africa and Niger
republics despite the fact that’s Fezzan is no longer a gate
way to the economy of the city.
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Yes, it’s also true that due to the ongoing social unrest that
started in Maiduguri since 2009, Maiduguri wasn’t
economically active as a nerve center to Cameroon, Sudan,
Central Africa, Niger, Chad and others, but as the unrest is
now ending and learning from the past history of Yerwa
Maiduguri will still bounce back to her glory days soon.
Fig. 37: Photos showing the children of Alhaji Muhammad Abrass who are also the grandchildren
of Al-Hadj Ali Dinamai : Late Malum Bukar Kolo Muhmmad (A), Hajja Yazara Alhajiram Abrass
(B) and Hajja Yagana