Na'ankwat Kwapnoe

Nigeria - 24-Jan-14 -

I visited Surame in 2012 on an archaeological field school organized by the department of Archaeology, Ahmadu Bello university Zaria. It was an interesting visit and I'm happy to have been part of the students that excavated the outter stone wall of the site that showed the different layers of stones. Now, the amazing part of this large site is that it was built by its ancient inhabitants centuries ago at a time when people in this part of the world were thought to be "uncivilized". Surame appears to be a well organized ancient settlement and it has a history worth preserving for rising generations to appreciate and even learn from.

Dr. Olusegun Opadeji

Nigeria - 27-Nov-12 -

I was part of the team that started excavation this great site with Gerhard Lieseagang. I resumed a new research work on the site and lately (2012) went with researchers and students of Ahamadu Bello University to investigate thearchitecture of the walls. The project is on-going.

Date posted: November 2012

AHMAD YUSUF unsee

Nigeria - 06-Sep-11 -

Surame is one of the best places anyone could ever be, it is a very large construction of pure stone believed to be carried out by men and no machinery was used because by that time all the machinaries were not invented. one of the things that make up the place is still the great walls and the hell fire and paradise which was said to have fire burning non-syop. it really is a place to go and see

Usman Abubakar I.(gidigo)

Nigeria - 07-Aug-11 -

Am a student of usmanu danfodio university sokoto. I have been to surame landscape together with my course mates(biology dept.) on a field trip consulted by Malam Magami, on 26th july 2011. Indeed it was an amusement and historically area 19sqr km in diameter ruled by a hero, Muhammadu kanta(15 century), the founder of Kebbi kingdom. Kanta was a servant of Songhai who betrayed and conqured with his master and take over the leadership. Kanta was said to be a man of anxiety. By that time he has his own hell fire and paradise as a means of judgement for his followers. One miraculous thing about surame, is that there is only one Baobab three in the city. The wife of kanta as shown, died in the bush when she left home as a result of misunderstanding with her husband and never return.

Abdullahi Maryam Sule-kano

Nigeria - 31-Jul-11 -

I have been to this site on 26 July, 2011. we went there as an excursion with my course mate from Usman Danfodiyo University Sokoto, biology unit. we were accompanied by Mallam Garba from National Monuments Commission of Nigeria.

it was a road trip to the outskirts of the town and we worked further.

Surame is the great ancient Kebbi established and lead by Muhammad Kanta in the 15th century, the city is 19sqr/km. Kanta a military man under the Songhai empire had a misunderstanding with his master and decided to leave and he settled in the area now known as Surame.

Muhammad Kanta was a great ruler he built an empire with several gates, there was only one source of water a well which also added to his power and authority. he had his slaves to build the well and about 10,000 slaves to build the great wall.Also in the city there is a three of baobab which after a quarrel with his wife, she went there and never went back home. she died an decomposed on the tree. According to the history, Kanta was a very strict leader; he created his own hell fire and paradise 4 judgment.After his death Moliki succeeded after his death.

Dr Patrick Darling

UK - 16-Dec-10 -

Surame is Africa's largest stone construction, many time larger than Great Zimbabwe; and it deserves to be better known. Built in the C16th by the Songhai under Kanta, the stone walls were once strengthened with mortar, as were those at its satellite town of Gungu and another Songhai town, Banga. The large central area contains Kanta's house and well and is pierced by seven gates. Three concentric enclosures surround this inner wall; and there are three other much small enclosures appended. This erstwhile capital was abandoned after only a couple of centuries and, although its bleak wilderness site suffers from sheet erosion, late stone age tools, sherds and tobacco-pipe fragments have been noted. It is one of many sites well worth visiting in Nigeria if one is prepared to walk its imposing walls.

Gerhard Julius Liesegang

of residence, teaching and resear ch: Mozambique - 24-Jun-08 -

I excavated at this site in 1990 and 1991 under the guidance of historian Dierk Lange and archaeologist Ade Obayemi of the National Monuments Commission of Nigeria. I is surely a very impressive site, with a relatively well preserved inner settlement structure,and dating from the late 15th (or early 16th century) to the late seventeenth or early 18th century. With Google MapPlanet any internet surfer can get an excellent impression of this highly visible site about sixty kilometers west from Sokoto not far from Gande near the village of Dargana (lat. 13.0848, lon. 4.8944).