Rim and Mai Hills
Rim Mai · Chad Basin frontier hills
Kanem-Bornu to Kano (13th–18th c.)·Kanuri / Hausa·🇳🇬 Jigawa State, Maigatari / Kazaure hills, Nigeria
About
About Rim and Mai Hills
Paired hills Rim and Mai between Kano and Ngazargamu, with 13th-c. refuge walls 3 km, dyed indigo pits (50) and caravan wells. Controlled Kanem-Bornu - Kano salt-natron route.
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Why it mattersFrontier station illustrating Kano-Bornu caravan economy.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Indigo trade volume
- 02Toll rates
Theories
- 01Rim-Mai as Bornu customs post
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- Refuge walls 13th c.; indigo pits 15th c.
- Period
- Kanem-Bornu to Kano (13th–18th c.)
- Culture
- Kanuri / Hausa
- Purpose
- Caravan toll station for natron and salt
- Excavation
- Unexcavated
13th c.
Refuge walls 3 km built
15th c.
Indigo pits 50 dug
18th c.
Abandoned after Tuareg raids
On the ground
Structures & features
12.8000° N · 9.5000° E · 420 m · 2 mapped features
Rim Hill Refuge Walls
fortificationWalls 3 km with 4 gates
12.8010° N · 9.5010° EIndigo Pit Complex of Mai
industrial50 pits 3 m diam with indigo residue
12.7990° N · 9.4990° E