Front entrance of the palace of the Emir of Zaria, Zaria, Nigeria

"In August 1959 the Emir of Zaria, Ja'afaru died. He was succeeded by Alhaji Muhammadu Aminu. To mark the revival of the Katsina zuriya or royal house, the Emir revived the traditional Katsinawa praying ground outside of the Kofar Doka for use at Id al Fitr prayers. Locally, the Emir's palace in Zaria to this day is sometimes spoken of as gidan Bakwa, Bakwa's house." [Hogben S. and Kirk-Greene A., 1993:The emirates of Northern Nigeria. Oxford University Press]. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Life magazine and traveled to Africa from August 18, 1959 to December 20, 1959.