Ngazargamu

Birni NgazargamuListen^ⓘ , also calledListen^ⓘ Gazargamu, Gazargamo, Ngazargamo, and N'gazargamu, was the capital of the Kanem–Bornu Empire from the city's foundation in the 15th century to its destruction and abandonment in the Fula jihads in the early 19th century. Ngazargamu was situated in the fork of the Komadugu Gana River and the Komadugu Yobe, near present-day Geidam, 150 km (93 mi) west of Lake Chad in the Yobe State of modern Nigeria.

Ideally positioned alongside important trans-Saharan trade routes, Ngazargamu was the focal point of the central Sudan region for three centuries. At the height of its power, Ngazargamu covered about 1500 hectares. The former population size of Ngazargamu is unknown, with estimates ranging between 60,000 and 250,000 at the city's height. The great rampart on which the city once stood is still visible at the site, alongside sparse remnants of former structures. The site is noted for the presence of red bricks, otherwise rare in pre-modern Africa.