EMIR'S PALACE

Even without an audience, the visit to the outside of the Palace and its square is already worth a visit, for the beautiful view it offers of the Hausa and Fulani cultures of northern Nigeria. Also known as Gidan Rumfa, the Palace dates back to the 15th century, with a first version built in 1471 based on Hispanic Islamic models. The configuration of the rooms, gardens and exterior parts would thus almost identically reproduce that of one of the Palaces of Córdoba. The current Emir, Sanusi II, wanted to revive this historical link with a reminder to the Alhambra of Seville, one of whose poems is reproduced in Arabic on an inner wall of Gidan Rumfa. Faithful to the equestrian traditions of North Nigeria, the estate also includes stables where the Emir's horses are kept, including his favourite, a proud white steed. The Emir likes to tell that he lets himself die of sadness if another horse is preferred for the ceremony.

From the main square, we can see the large clay-coloured arch symbolising the entrance to the palace, giving access to a first inner courtyard that leads to a second arch, much smaller and with very thick walls typical of Hausa architecture, whose age can be seen by venturing below. Once in this last courtyard, the speakers are painted with a dark ochre reminiscent of banco, and covered with carved friezes and painted in bright colours. The current Emir is committed to scholarship, and has had two very large libraries built within the palace, which contain a large number of books on Islamic and economic studies, and more broadly on African studies, for which he claims the largest collection in the world. The interior rooms are a succession of banquet rooms, lounges and reception rooms encrusted with gilding from the walls to the ceilings. The interior patios are green and refreshing, while the Emir's own residence is more modern, with dark woodwork and the palace's two libraries, as well as beautifully decorated domes. In the room where the Emir receives his visitors, are displayed the portraits of his predecessors since the origins of the dynasty.