Enjoy climbing and history when you visit Dala hills in Kano.

By Rebecca

11 December 2019

Dala Hill is the best place for beautiful sights and history at the same time. The history of Kano started Dala Hill with its early settlers over 1000 years ago. The maguzawa tribe assembled at the foot of the hill to receive a sermon from Barbushe their spiritual and political leader. Today visitors can climb Dala hill from there you will have a magnificent view of old Kano. If you wake up early climb up the Dala hill and watch the sunrise over Kano city, It is an unforgettable view.

The famous Dala Hills we hear about in the Hausa folklore, children?s storybooks and others are located in Kano state. Dala hills wrap around the city of Kano like a shield keeping its inhabitants from invasions and also acts as a good place to have the best view of Kano city.

The walk up the hill can be quiet tiring with the steep stairs provided and the handrails which are long gone and makes it a precarious climb for the old and children. Once atop the hill, the view of Kano is bound to take your breath away to a time when Kano was in all its glory during the Trans-Atlantic trade. You can identify major landmarks in the city and maybe where you are staying for your visit.

Dala hill, from which the Dala area in Kano city got its name, is undoubtedly shrouded in mystery and myth. The ancient hill, which stands tall in the city, is so alluring and captivating that anyone on a visit to Kano will desire to see its top. Though time and nature have started taking their tolls on the hill, it still embodies those fairy tales that people who have lived around it for centuries continue to hold.

According to the historical accounts from natives of the area, Dala was named after a hunter who once lived at the hill. They claimed that the entire area where the hill is today was a deep forest until their forefathers decided to settle down around it.

There are many mythical stories about it, which some settlers regard as spiritual and superstitious. In those days, it was believed that only Dala natives could go up the hill at a particular period of the day. Even now, to an extent, people still hold that belief. It is believed that a non-indigene cannot go up the hill after 8 pm without a consequence.

Till today, a deep well, popularly known as Rijiyar kare kukan ka (the well where you will cry out your tears without help) is believed to be on top of Dala hill. The mysterious well, according to the elders of Dala, is the most frightening myth about the hill. It is so deep that when a stone is dropped into it, it would take about 20 minutes before one could hear the splash of water to signify its landing.

They claimed that a number of people and animals had fallen into the well and could not be rescued. The well, according to them, is still on the hill, but no one has ever fetched water from it because of its depth. They said it was not dug by anybody and it never gets filled up with water since it was discovered on the hill.

Ensure that on your visit to Dala hills, you put on very comfortable outfits and not anything too fancy. Also, make sure that your camera is fully charged and ready for a busy day.

You can pay a visit to the hills anytime, there will be guides there to attend to you.

You should also check out this detailed travel guide to Kano, it will make your next trip to the city very exciting.

https://hotels.ng/guides/travel-guide-to-kano-all-you-should-know-about-the-center-of-commerce/

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