Sultan's Palace of Zinder

About this place

The Sultan's Palace of Zinder is the seat of the sultans of Damagaram in the old Birini quarter of Zinder, south-east Niger. It is one of the country's finest earthen buildings, with tall red walls and raised white Hausa decoration. The historic quarter of decorated mud houses surrounds it. The Sultanate of Damagaram was founded in 1731 near Mirriah and moved its capital to Zinder in 1736, turning Zinder from a small Hausa village into an important centre of trans-Saharan trade. The large Birini fortress in the south-east of the city was built shortly after and became a hub for trade south to Kano and east to Bornu. You see a tall red earthen wall with small windows, wooden doors and pointed crenellations, and a white main gate decorated with geometric reliefs. Inside are broad courtyards ringed by mud buildings, and from the roof the old quarter shows its small earthen domes, cones and trees. It is about 2 km from central Zinder in a straight line. The palace is still the sultan's seat, so visits are by permission and with a guide. Ask before taking photos. The UK Foreign Office currently advises against all travel to Niger, so read the current advice before any planning.