Northern Contemporary Palaces: A Tool of Promoting Hausa Architectural Identity

Abstract

The origins of buildings started with the origins of human tradition in a society and their peaceful coexistence. Therefore, culture and tradition as a starting point of every human settlement have a potential of architectural identity as well foster significant visual image that embodies physical and symbolic meanings. However, in a communal settlement, architecture usually signified the identity of a place that generate pleasant appearance which in all cases excite the dwellers. And, it is more exciting again when inspired grandeur and joyfully accepted when embraces culture and tradition. Consequently, some prominent architecture in some communities elegantly and respectfully signified
cultural identity that intellectually reflecting the long-inherited established tradition. Meanwhile, in Hausa communities of Northern Nigeria, palace buildings are the prominent physical monumental structures organized to serve practical traditional activities and some religion functions, with schemata
influencing cultural factors that had been explored by the communal from generations to generations. Those palace designs symbolized eminent characteristics of Hausa people that communicate about
human shelter and their coherence identity. As such, the approach through various reconciliations in both social and cultural manner allowed Hausa people to further developed architecture that is rich in art and science. Therefore, this paper will theoretically discuss various contemporary Emir’s palaces in Northern Nigeria that promote architectural identity within the region. The discussion will be centered-on the impacts of the physical architectural features, mostly the façades compositional elements that symbolized Hausa traditional architecture with clear expressions of place identity. In this research, several selected palaces from different places within the northern region will be used for evaluations. The paper will significantly explored the contemporary Emir’s palaces as a tool of promoting architectural identity in Hausa communities of Northern Nigeria. As such, the paper finally concludes that the designs of Emir’s palaces played vital role in place identity with cultural and architectural relevance in the regional built context.