Centuries before British colonization, Kano was strongly cosmopolitan with settled populations of Arab, Tuareg, Kanuri and remains so with the Hausa language spoken as a lingua-franca by over 70 million speakers in the region.

[10] The Kano Chronicle identifies Barbushe, a warrior priest of Dala Hill and a female spirit deity known as Tsumburbura.

They worshipped the deity Tsumburbura (Elizabeth Isichei notes that the description of Barbushe is similar to those of Sao people).

During his reign, political pressure from the rising Songhai Empire forced him to take Auwa, the daughter of Askiyah the Great as his wife.

His successor, Kumbari dan Sharefa (1731–1743), engaged in major battles with Sokoto as a longterm rivalry.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Fulani Islamic leader Usman dan Fodio led a jihad affecting much of central Sudan which demolished the Habe kingdom, leading to the emergence of the Sokoto Caliphate.

In 1851, Heinrich Barth (a German scholar who spent several years in northern Nigeria in the 1850s) mentioned that Kano had a 10-mile long 30 ft high clay walls with a population of 30,000 with commerce and manufacturing abundant.

[22] By 1922, groundnut trader Alhassan Dantata had become the richest businessman in the Kano Emirate, surpassing fellow merchants Umaru Sharubutu Koki and Maikano Agogo.

The first military police commissioner, Audu Bako, is credited with building a solid foundation for the progress of a modern society.

[citation needed] In December 1980, radical preacher Mohammed Marwa Maitatsine led a riot.

Buildings set on fire include a sharia police station, an Islamic centre, and a council secretariat.

Four police stations, the State Security Service headquarters, passport offices and immigration centres were attacked.

[47][48] The emir was immediately moved to detention under heavy security escort to an apartment in awe, Nasarawa state.

The city has on average about 980 mm (38.6 in) of precipitation per year, the large majority of which falls from June through September.

Over the years, inconsistent government policies and sporadic electricity supply hampered manufacturing and industry, so that Kano's economy relies primarily on trade, retail and services.

[57][58] The festival begins with skilled horsemen from the royal court and aristocrats being accompanied by musicians, artillerymen, and traditional circus in a procession of highly rich and colorful style through the city on the way to the emir's palace.

Once assembled near the palace, the horsemen separate into their respective groups, each under the banner of district head (hakimai) or a titled nobleman from the emir's court (masarauta), take it in turns to charge toward the emir, pulling up just feet in front of the seated dignitaries to offer their respect and allegiance.

During the festival, the emir makes a beautiful appearance in different colors dressed and adorned with the attire of a king.

[59] For the first time in 200 years, the durban horse festival was cancelled in 2012 due to the bad health condition of the Emir of Kano.

[60] Some analysts suggested that the cancellation could also be attributed to the rising deadly Boko haram attacks in the northern part of Nigeria at that time.

The city is a leading axis of Sudano-Sahelian architecture, developing the local Tubali style which manifested in mosques, walls, common compounds, and gates.

The design exteriorization of building façades was and is still widely used in Kano architecture, with the city harboring several skilled artisans.

[73] The city is supplied with water by the nearby Challawa Gorge Dam, which is being considered as a source of hydro power.

[74] Because Kano is north of the rail junction at Kaduna, it has equal access to the seaports at Lagos and Port Harcourt.

[77] In 2017, a 74-km, four-line light rail network was announced by the Kano State Ministry of Works, Housing & Transport; with a US$1.8 billion contract signed with China Railway Construction Corporation.

[78][79] Two trans-African automobile routes pass through Kano: From 2006 to 2015, backed by high oil prices, major highways, overhead bridges and other transportation infrastructure were built by the state government.

In 2020, the Vice president of Nigeria Yemi Osibanjo was in Kano to commission the Alhassan Dantata flyover along Murtala Muhammad Way and Tijjani Hashim underpass way, Kofar Ruwa.