Rano and Biram

Who rules

Title

the sarki of each town

Since

Not known

Family

Tradition makes Rano a foundation of Bawo's line and Biram the foundation of Bayajidda's son by the Bornu princess Magira

Confidence

low

Rano appears in the Kano Chronicle as a separate state until Yaji of Kano occupied it for two years (1349-1385 in Palmer's count), after which it never regained its independence. Biram is remembered as the eldest Hausa state; nothing dated is known of it.

Overlord

None recorded

What the realm holds

• Rano and its villages (see Rano)
• Biram at Garun Gabas in the Hadejia country (see Garun Gabas (Biram))

The realm that morning

Independent town-states of tradition on 1 January 1200, rulers not known.

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Tradition and the Kano Chronicle's later notices.

On the map: Small districts; their 1200 extent is not recorded.

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