Niger - The old town of Zinder, district of Birni and the Sultanate

Zinder, the former capital of Niger, chief-center of the department presents undeniable historical and cultural facts. This city which was the capital of Niger from 1911 to 1926, has benefited from its position as a crossroads of communication routes between the Sahara and Nigeria in the context of trans-Saharan trade and between Niamey and Chad. Its old city, marked by its Birni district built around enormous granite massifs, characterizes its historical importance around the Sultanate of the Damagaram region and its population. Indeed, the origin of the sultanate is around 1736 and the place of residence of the sultans changed until 1812. It was only on this date that the seat of the sultanate was installed by Sultan Suleymane Dan Tanimoune to Zinder and more precisely to Birni who is since that time, capital of the sultanate.