Ilorin
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Where is Ilorin located in Nigeria?
Ilorin is a city, traditional emirate, and the capital of Kwara state, located in west-central Nigeria. It lies on the Awun River, a minor tributary of the Niger. Modern Ilorin is inhabited mainly by Yoruba people who are Muslims, and the city serves as an industrial, commercial, and educational center.
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What is Ilorin known for?
Ilorin, a city in western Nigeria, is known for its rich history and cultural significance. Founded by the Yoruba in the late 18th century, it became the capital of a kingdom and a major trade center between the Hausa of the north and the Yoruba of the south.
Ilorin resisted British rule until 1897 and later became part of the Northern Nigeria Protectorate in 1900. Today, Ilorin is inhabited mainly by Muslim Yoruba people and is a commercial, industrial, and educational center with a growing industrial sector that includes sugar refining, food processing, and ironworking.
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What is the history of Ilorin's founding?
Ilorin, located in western Nigeria, was founded in the late 18th century by Yoruba people. It grew to become the capital of a kingdom that served as a vassal state within the Oyo empire. In 1817, Oyo’s commander at Ilorin, Kakanfo Afonja, along with Mallam Alimi and Fulani warriors, led a rebellion that destabilized the Oyo empire. By 1829, Abd al-Salam, Alimi’s son, became emir, aligning Ilorin with the Sokoto caliphate. Throughout the 19th century, Ilorin was a major trade center. The British recognized Ilorin's supremacy in 1897. Today, Ilorin is a major industrial, commercial, and educational center.
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What are some important cultural traditions in Ilorin?
Ilorin, a city in Nigeria, has a rich cultural history blending Yoruba traditions with Fulani influences. Founded by the Yoruba people in the late 18th century, Ilorin transformed into a Muslim emirate with strong ties to the Sokoto caliphate.
Today, Ilorin is inhabited mainly by Muslim Yoruba people, and its traditional ruler is a Yoruba-speaking Fulani emir. Local handicrafts like pottery, wood carving, leatherworking, cloth weaving, and mat and basket weaving are still practiced. The city is a major market for locally raised crops and livestock.
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Which ethnic groups live in Ilorin?
Ilorin is mainly inhabited by Yoruba people who are primarily Muslim, though the traditional ruler is a Yoruba-speaking Fulani emir.
Other ethnic groups in Kwara State (of which Ilorin is the capital) include Nupe, Busa, and Baatonun peoples.
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How does Ilorin play a role in Nigeria's education and economy today?
Ilorin serves as an industrial, commercial, and educational center in Nigeria today. The city is a major market for crops and livestock and has a growing industrial sector that includes sugar refining, food processing, and ironworking.
Ilorin is home to the University of Ilorin and Kwara State Polytechnic. The Federal Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute, teacher-training colleges, and vocational trade schools are also located in the city.
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Ilorin, city, traditional emirate, and capital of Kwara state, western Nigeria. It is located on the Awun River, a minor tributary of the Niger. Founded in the late 18th century by Yoruba people, it became the capital of a kingdom that was a vassal state of the Oyo empire. Oyo’s commander at Ilorin, Kakanfo (Field Marshal) Afonja, led a rebellion in 1817 that destroyed the unity of the empire. He was aided by Mallam Alimi (a Fulani from Sokoto), by Fulani warriors and slaves, and by Hausa slaves. Afonja was increasingly dominated by the Muslim Fulani, and, upon his assassination, Alimi’s son, Abd al-Salam (Abdul Salami), became emir of Ilorin and pledged allegiance (c. 1829) to the Sokoto caliphate. As a Muslim emirate, Ilorin subjugated several towns in Yorubaland and destroyed the Oyo capital, Oyo Ile (Old Oyo, or Katunga), 40 miles (64 km) northwest, in 1837. Abd al-Salam conducted a jihad toward the sea and was only stopped by the Ibadan victory over his cavalrymen at Oshogbo in 1840.
Throughout the 19th century, Ilorin served as a major trade centre between the Hausa of the north and the Yoruba of the south. It strongly resisted British rule, and not until 1897, when the army of the Royal Niger Company arrived after conquering Bida (106 miles east-northeast), did Ilorin recognize British supremacy. In 1900 Ilorin emirate was the only part of Yorubaland to be included in the Northern Nigeria Protectorate, which, later in the colonial period, developed into the Northern Province and then the Northern Region. With the subdivision of the country’s administrative regions in 1967, Ilorin became part of West Central (later Kwara) state.
Modern Ilorin is mainly inhabited by Muslim Yoruba people, although its traditional ruler is a Yoruba-speaking Fulani emir. Surrounding the historic central district with its traditional single-story red-mud houses with thatched straw roofs and numerous mosques, all protected by a mud wall, the modern city is an industrial, commercial, and educational centre. It is a major market for locally raised crops (yams, cassava [manioc], corn [maize], sorghum, millet, rice, peppers, peanuts [groundnuts], shea nuts, kola nuts, cotton) and for cattle, hides, and poultry. Local handicrafts include pottery making, wood carving, leatherworking, cloth weaving, and mat and basket weaving. The growing industrial sector now includes sugar refining, food processing, soft-drink bottling, match and soap manufacturing, and ironworking. There are several banks and insurance companies that serve the city and state.
The city is the site of the University of Ilorin and Kwara State Polytechnic. The Federal Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute, which operates a research farm, is located near the city. Teacher-training colleges and a vocational trade school also serve Ilorin. Health services include a number of government, private, and religious hospitals and a nursing home for the elderly.
Ilorin is served by the railway and highway from Lagos (160 miles south-southwest), via Ibadan, which intersect in the city, and it has an international airport. Pop. (2016 est.) urban agglom., 960,000.