RUINS OF THE OLD KEBBI KINGDOM
by Hamza Shaibu - @officialolobo
No upright structure remains at this
UNESCO World Heritage Site except
for an impressive baobab tree. The tree
is said to be more than 500 years old,
standing at the very center of Surame,
the ancient ruins of the old Kebbi
Kingdom; built by King Muhammadu
Kanta in the 16th century.
Pictured here are the scattered remains
of what used to be one of four paved
paths leading up to the tree which was
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the only one of its kind within the
original walls.
The tree during its time served as a
gathering point for inhabitants and
elders of Surame where important
issues were resolved, decisions were
taken, and offenders were publicly
disgraced. The ruins of Surame now
lie abandoned in Sokoto State some
four kilometers away from the Binji
Local Government Area. This site
CROSSROADS | November 2018 Special Edition
is important to the local inhabitants
because it shows strong evidence of
their roots, and it provides important
clues as to how their ancestors lived
and how their architecture and ways
of life have improved over the years.
Being a UNESCO World Heritage Site,
the ruins attract many visitors from all
over the world who contribute to the
local economy.