Exclusive Photos From Gobarau Minaret, 650 Years Old Mystery

Naij.com field reporter, Abdulbaqi Jari, recently visited the famous 650 year old Gobarau Minaret. He brought splendid photos behind the historical monument found in Katsina state.

Gobarau Minaret is believed to be one of the oldest historical monuments in Africa. It was built in 1348 during the reign of Muhammad Korau (1348 – 1398). Korau was believed to be the first Muslim ruler of Katsina. After accepting Islam, he declared it as the official state religion.

The historical edifice was believed to have been built by local craftsmen using sun baked clay and mud. The Minaret is about 3 story building. Due to previous poor maintenance, it is now occupied mainly by birds and lizards.

From the top Gobarau Minaret, one will see the Emir’s palace, which is about 3 kilometres away.

After its construction, it served as a Mosque and a learning centre. It is now a National Monument and a tourist attraction centre. A renovation work was launched under the immediate past governor, Ibrahim Shema. The second phase was scheduled to continue after the recent 2015 general election. Unfortunately, the work is now halted. 

In a brief chat with Malam Tukur, who has been the the guardian of the place for over 20 years, he said:

“A lot needs to be done to improve this place since it is a national monument. Government should come and build a Gallery here as was contained in the scheduled second phase project.”

Below are photos from Gobarau Minaret:

A sign board at the entrance of Gobarau Minaret showing the year it was built

A notice board covered by glass with written notes of how Gobarau Minaret came about

Malam Tukur who has been working in Gabarau Minaret for 20 years

Gobarau Minaret shown with its 3 storey building

A pathway to get to the top of Gobarau Minaret

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