The Crocodile City — where the River Kaduna, Hausa textile traditions, and the knife-edge of Nigeria's religious fault-line meet
Kaduna is the capital of Kaduna State and one of northern Nigeria's most important cities — a planned colonial capital on the Kaduna River (named for its crocodiles) that became the administrative and military hub of the British Northern Nigeria Protectorate. Today it is one of Nigeria's most contested cities — sitting exactly on the cultural fault-line between the largely Muslim north and largely Christian south, it has experienced severe sectarian violence, most recently in 2011, while simultaneously maintaining a sophisticated artistic, textile, and industrial economy. Kaduna is Nigeria's…
Kaduna was founded as a planned city by Frederick Lugard in 1913 as the capital of the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria, chosen for its central location and the Kaduna River. The city grew rapidly as a military garrison and administrative centre. During the First Republic it was the capital of Northern Region — the largest region in Nigeria, comprising more than half the country's land area. The north-south religious fault-line runs directly through Kaduna state: the south is predominantly Christian (with significant indigenous Hausa Christians), the north predominantly Muslim. This has made…