Inside the palatial palace of Sultan of Agadez

But it was the eve of the celebrated Bianou festival.  I was highly excited, for no any great reason other than the fact that we were allowed to have a thorough view of his palace. I travelled along with students of Irshadil Ummah College to Agadez on November 11, 2013, but we did not arrive […]

But it was the eve of the celebrated Bianou festival.  I was highly excited, for no any great reason other than the fact that we were allowed to have a thorough view of his palace. I travelled along with students of Irshadil Ummah College to Agadez on November 11, 2013, but we did not arrive until the 12th day on the journey.
Painful as it may appear, our vehicle developed some faults, as a result of which it could only answer to reverse gear, but could not move forward. Thus, we had to pass the night at a village called Silika (Maigari Silika), about 253 kilometres away from Agadez.
Luckily enough for me and other co-travellers, we were tighter security-wise with the representative of the Sultan of Agadez in our midst. He was Dr. AbdulQadir Labaran Koguna (Hakimin Sarki a Najeriya, Sardaunan Abzin). Having understood our critical situation, the Sardauna rode a motor bike offered to us by the princess of Silika (Daughter of Maigarin Silika), who ordered her son to convey our guide to a place where he could have access to communication. He called the Prefect of Aderrbissinat, but could not pick the call.
Thus, we had to sleep in our Sienna jeep within the vicinity of Princesses of Silika’s house. Early in the morning, the Sardauna took a motorbike and covered about 53 kilometers to Aderrbissinat. The Prefect of Aderrbissinat gave him a Land Cruiser Toyota, which conveyed us to Agadez, while a lorry driver was paid a token to tow the car down to Aderrbissinat.
On our arrival, late in the night, we were hosted at a guest house called Darussalam, which was just a stone throw and not far away from Agadez Airport. The following morning, we paid a visit to some acquaintances whom we were opportuned to meet during my first trip to Agadez. We visited Gidan Sauden Iya (which is often identified as Gidan Gashura – a popular young girl in the house).
As we were about to go to bed, Sardaunan Abzin came to announce to us that he had booked an appointment for us to meet the Sultan at 8:30am. For that very reason, we had to forgo our breakfast and left for the palace.
At the main entrance of the palace, we met some courtiers on horses. We greeted them and they responded to our greetings. And without any protocols, they ushered us into the palace, where we found the Sultan on a long seater chair already waiting for us.
As soon as we all got seated on the rug, the Sultan raised his two hands up and prayed for us. Apart from the supplication he recited to his visitors, the Sultan did not talk any more. The Sardaunan Abzin did all the talkings, as if he was ordered by the Sultanate head to deliver a lecture to us.
Fortunately, the Sultan did not mask his face like the Abzins do with their turbans. The Sultan is really a man who lives a simple life, and his vivid description is simply dark tall, giant and charismatic.
While waiting to hear a few words from the Sultan, Dr. Koguna told us to go round and have a thorough view of the palace. Before we stood up from our sitting positions, the Sardauna lectured us. He narrated stories about the grandeur Bianou festival. It is celebrated annually   on the 10th of Muharram (based on Hijiri Islamic calendar), which in this year falls on November 13.
On 17th of Dhul Hijja, the Abzins (Abzinawa in the Sultanate of Agadez) starts preparations for the grand events of Bianou, which according to Dr. AbdulQadir Labaran Koguna, the traditional title of Sardaunan Abzin, “the festival has always been celebrated in the past 829 years”
While speaking to Nigeriens at the palace of his Eminence, the Sultan of Agadez, stated that “Agadez Sultanate is an Islamic empire, and many scholars hailed from the town, as the house of Sheikh Jibrila, the tutor of a great scholar, Sheikh Usman bn Fodio is located near our grand parents’ houses.
“But the Bianou cultural event, upon which you purposely came from Nigeria to Niger for, has been celebrated in Agadez for the past 829 years,” he explained.
Having heard the point stressed by the Sardaunan Abzin, His Eminence, the Sultan of Agadez nodded his head, in affirmation and confirmation of what his Nigerien representative told his guests.
Indeed that was the only opportunity I ever got to circumvent the palace of a traditional ruler. A portion of this palatial palace looks like an archive, as there are walls decorated with a number of pictures, chronicling past leaders of both Niger and Nigeria.
The Bianou festival is a platform for anyone to experience the traditions and customs of Abzins. The event showcases the cultural heritage within the Sultanate and its environs. In spite of the pains of accessing Niger, it was quite an exciting experience after all.