Ngazargamu (Civ6)/Civilopedia

Nagazargamu (or Gazargamo) was the capital of the Kanem-Bornu Empire, which existed in for five hundred years in what is today northeastern Nigeria, controlling the region around Lake Chad. This Islamic kingdom grew rich through trade networks in the north of Africa, and much of what we know about it comes through records of Arabic writers. At its height, it had a population of about 20,000.
The city was established by Ali Dunamami of the Sefuwa Dynasty, around 1460 as part of the rise of the Bornu kingdom. The land around their new capital was rich, agricultural and pastoral land, and the Bornu used this prosperity to launch a campaign to reconquer lands they had previously ruled in the old Kanem empire.
King Idris Alauma (reign 1564 – 1596) was perhaps the most effective ruler of Kanem-Bornu, embarking on a series of military reforms, including the introduction of Ottoman-trained musketeers to his army, as well as employing mercenary Berber camel cavalry and Kotoko marines to the already-formidable cavalry of the kingdom. He established trade relations with Morocco, Egypt, and the Ottoman court (who paid him the compliment of a large ambassadorial delegation.) His chroniclers praised his victories in over a thousand battles and three hundred wars. Alauma is also credited with economic reforms, such as standardized measures in trade, and legal reforms in accord with Islamic jurisprudence.
The city was besieged and destroyed in 1809 during the Fulani jihad. Today the ruins of the city are still visible, and there is some interest in rebuilding this once-mighty capital into a new, modern city.