Gobir is the northernmost Hausa state, the 'shield' of the Hausa against the desert.
Its rulers claimed an eastern origin (Copts or Arabians: the claim may be an eighteenth century invention). In 1200 its people lived further north than later Gobir, on the southern edge of Aïr, which Egyptian merchants before the fifteenth century called 'Gubir' (Last), and they shared that country with the veiled Berbers, who pressed on them from the twelfth century. Where the king sat in 1200 is not known: the candidates are the Aïr valleys, Marandet (on the gao part of this sheet) or the plains south of Aïr; the stand-in point is placed in the Tarka valley.
Who rules
- Title
- sarki of Gobir
- Since
- Not known
- Family
- The Gobir king list (Bana Turmi, his grandson Bala who led the people into Asben, and later names such as Ubandoro, placed by one list in the twelfth century) has no reliable dates
- Confidence
- low
Gobir's traditions bring the Gobirawa from the east to Asben (Aïr), where they allied with the Idirfunawa of the Adrar against the Tuareg; the first seat in Asben is dated 1150-1450 in Wikipedia's infobox without a stated source; Mahdi Adamu (UNESCO IV) suggested Marandet as a centre; Lovejoy has Tuareg pressure from the twelfth century driving them south; Birnin Lalle further south is fifteenth century.
Overlord
None recorded
What the realm holds
- The Gobirawa's farms, wells and herds on the southern edge of Aïr and the plains below it (position not pinned)
Allies and rivals
Rivals: the veiled Berbers of Aïr (realm tuareg). Allies in tradition: the Idirfunawa of the Adrar.
The realm that morning
On 1 January 1200 the Gobirawa are a Hausa people under their own kings on the southern margin of Aïr, under growing pressure from the Berbers of Aïr (realm tuareg, gao part of the sheet). Their exact seat is not pinned.
Where the sources disagree
- Gobir's 1200 seat: Aïr valleys (tradition), Marandet (Mahdi Adamu) or further south; not settled.
Evidence: Tradition and one modern suggestion (Marandet).
On the map: The drawing is a placeholder for a people whose 1200 seat is unknown; it stops short of Aïr, which is drawn by the gao part of the sheet.
Primary sources for this realm
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- The Kano Chronicle (about 1880 to 1890, from older written lists and oral tradition). The only narrative of the Hausa towns, but a nineteenth-century compilation whose dates for early kings are reckoned back from reign lengths. Read online
Sources and studies
- Wikipedia: Gobir (Asben as first seat, infobox 1150-1450; Bana Turmi and Bala; Mahdi Adamu on Marandet; Tuareg pressure from the 12th century after Lovejoy)
- Wikipedia: Hausa Kingdoms (Bayajidda legend, Hausa Bakwai and Banza Bakwai, foundation dates unknown)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.