According to records preserved by the Gobir ruling house, they trace their descent from the nomadic Copts (or Kibdawa) of Arabia.

They are said to have migrated from Kabila, north of Mecca, to Gubur in Yemen, where they established their first king (Sarkin Gobir), Bana Turmi.

From there, they passed through Khartoum and Bornu to Asben, Surukul, Birnin Lalle, Magali, and finally Goran Rami.

[1]: 367–368 Historians S. J. Hogben and A. H. M. Kirk-Greene noted that this claim is disputed by some and might have been an invention of Bawa Jan Gwarzo (r. 1777–1795) to avoid paying tribute (murgu) to Bornu.

His grandson, Bala, then led the Gobirawa further west into the land of Asben, where they aligned with the Idirfunawa of the Adrar against the Tuaregs.

It utilised its large number of artisans and linen weavers to produce and export textiles and shoes, 'made like those of the ancient Romans,' as far as Timbuktu and Gao through Wangara traders.

The Tuaregs had established the Sultanate of Agadez earlier in the century, replacing Gobir as the dominant power in the Aïr mountains.

[1]: 369 [8] Around 1715, together with Agadez, Gobir aided Zamfara in its successful revolt against Kebbi, which at the time was the dominant power in western Hausaland.

However, the relationship soon deteriorated after Sarkin Gobir Soba besieged Zabarma for three years, plundering on a large scale.

While the Gobirawa were engaged in a seven-year siege against the Katsina city of Maradi, Agadez descended upon Goran Rami, the capital of Gobir.

The Zamfarawa immediately came to Gobir's aid, secretly surrounding the Agadez forces at night with a fence of thorns before launching an attack.

[1] Upon his return after the failed siege of Maradi, Soba immediately set out for revenge, sacking the Agadez cities of Manni and Adrar.

Maroki fled to Kiawa, an ancient hill fortress inhabited by Katsinawa, located about twenty miles east of Kaura Namoda.

According to Barth, a 'reliable source' informed him that the destruction of Birnin Zamfara happened around 1756, ninety-seven years before his arrival in Hausaland in 1853.

He called this new walled town Alkalawa because it was built on the official farmlands (gandu) of the Chief Alkali of Zamfara.

Dan Fodio was given some role in the education of Bawa's nephew and later successor, Yunfa (r. 1803–8), but also publicly attacked what he saw as the abuses of the Hausa elite,[14] particularly the burden they placed on the poor.

Sarki Nafata (r. 1797–98) reversed Bawa's tolerant policy, and feared the increase of arms amongst dan Fodio's followers.

Despite some initial successes by the forces of Gobir and the other Hausaland states (most notably at the Battle of Tsuntua), dan Fodio managed to conquer the surrounding territory.

The sarki exercised authority through three groups of officials: members of the ruling dynasty, public servants, and governors of towns and regions.

[17] The Sarkin Anna is also the custodian of the royal regalia of Gobir, which includes a sabre, two bracelets (one gold and one silver), a bow, and a quiver.