Kukawa: History
=== Early history (1814–1846) ===
Kukawa was founded under the name Kuka in 1814 by Muhammad al-Amin al-Kanemi, a military leader and religious scholar in service of the Kanem–Bornu Empire. Al-Kanemi was one of the empire's most powerful feudal lords, having secured great wealth and many fiefs through his military efforts against the Fula jihads. His move from his former seat (Ngurno) to the new Kuka coincided with adopting a more independent attitude to the empire's monarch (mai), Dunama IX Lefiami. Al-Kanemi adopted the style of shehu ("sheikh") at around the same time. Kuka was the end of one of the main trans-Saharan trade routes to Tripoli on the Mediterranean coast.
The name Kuka (or Kaoukaou) is the Kanuri name for the African baobab, which grew extensively in the surrounding countryside. The use of the name for the modern settlement has caused some confusion, since both Muhammad al-Idrisi (12th century) and Ibn Khaldun (14th century) mention two prominent towns by the name of Kaou Kaou, one of which was located very close to modern-day Kukawa.
Al-Kanemi and his son and successor Umar Kura increased their power over the course of the early 19th century, to the detriment of the mais. In 1846, mai Ibrahim IV Lefiami attempted to reassert his traditional power against Umar Kura. Ibrahim was supported in the ensuing civil war by the Wadai Sultanate, whose forces captured and destroyed Kuka. Ibrahim and his son Ali V Minargema were ultimately defeated. In the aftermath, Umar Kura seized sole power over the empire; the capital of the mais, Kafela, was destroyed and Kuka, as Umar Kura's seat, transitioned into the new imperial capital.
After securing his power, Umar Kura rebuilt Kuka. The settlement was rebuilt as two towns, separated by about half a mile of open country and each surrounded by a wall of white clay. This may be the explanation for why the town came to be known as Kukawa (the plural form of Kuka). The two parts of Kukawa were known as Kuka Futebe ("West Town") and Kuka Gedibe ("East Town"). The shehu and "other important persons" lived in the eastern town. The space separating the two towns was named the gemzegenyi (meaning unclear). It is unknown why Umar Kura rebuilt Kuka as two towns; Kukawa was the only pre-colonial center in Borno to be built in this fashion. The reasons may lie in Umar Kura wishing to enhance his personal security, or to cement class differences between commoners and the elite.
The rebuilt towns had numerous houses, wells, markets, and palaces. The entire area was surrounded by a 20-foot (6 m) high exterior mud wall. In addition to the two towns, this wall also enclosed several smaller villages and farms, as well as a cemetery. In the late 19th century, Kukawa had a population of between 60,000 and 200,000. The town grew wealthy as a center for caravans and a stopping place for pilgrims from the west and south on their way to Mecca.
Kukawa was visited by German explorer Heinrich Barth in 1851 who travelled from Tripoli seeking to open trade with Europe and explore Africa, and again in 1892 by the French explorer Parfait-Louis Monteil, who was checking the borders between areas of West Africa assigned to the French and the British by the Treaty of Berlin.
In 1892/1893, the Kanem–Bornu Empire was invaded by the Sudanese warlord Rabih az-Zubayr. …