Wender·Vista
Zaria
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileNigeria
in northern Nigeria, on the old caravan road south of Kano

Zaria

— — a red-walled city older than the maps.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“One of the seven original Hausa city-states. The walls are pounded earth, the colour of dried date. The Friday Mosque sits inside a compound that goes back to the early 1800s, the work of the master builder known as Babban Gwani. Ahmadu Bello University holds the south side of the city now. Students walk past the old gates. from the studio

from the studio
Zaria
— bring it home

Zaria, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Zaria

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Zaria is a city in Kaduna State, in northern Nigeria, about 150 kilometres south of Kano on the old trans-Saharan trade road. It grew out of Zazzau, one of the seven original Hausa kingdoms, and was fortified with earthen walls in the late sixteenth century under Queen Amina. The walled old city (the birni) sits beside a newer industrial and university quarter. The metropolitan population is roughly one million. The Emir of Zazzau still keeps his palace inside the old walls.

— informed by Wikipedia, Britannica
— the stone

The Friday Mosque of Zaria was built around 1834 by the master mason Mallam Mikhaila, called Babban Gwani, the great expert, and remains one of the finest examples of pre-colonial Hausa architecture in West Africa. The roof rests on a system of mud-brick arches and ribbed vaults carried on stout pillars, all worked in the local tubali brick. The Emir's palace and the surviving city gates use the same earthen technique. The walls glow ochre at the end of the day.

— the visit

Zaria is reached from Kaduna or Kano by road, about three hours from either. Ahmadu Bello University, founded in 1962 on the southern edge of the city, is among the largest universities in sub-Saharan Africa and draws students from across the country. Visitors should dress modestly inside the old city and ask permission before photographing the Friday Mosque or the Emir's palace. The dry season, November through February, brings cool harmattan mornings and is the best window for travel.

— informed by Ahmadu Bello University
— where
Nigeria · Zaria, Kaduna State
— elevation
670 m · 2,198 ft
— position
11.0667° N · 7.7000° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
75 km S
Kaduna
state capital
150 km N
Kano
Hausa city
N
Zaria
Kaduna
Kano
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Zaria — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Zaria sits in Kaduna State, in northern Nigeria, about 150 kilometres south of Kano along the old trans-Saharan trade road. The walled old city anchors a larger metropolitan area of roughly one million.

Zaria grew out of the Hausa kingdom of Zazzau, fortified in the late 1500s under Queen Amina. The earthen city walls and several gates from that period still stand inside the modern city.

The Friday Mosque was built around 1834 by Mallam Mikhaila, the master mason known as Babban Gwani. It is considered one of the great surviving examples of Hausa architecture in West Africa.

Founded in 1962 on Zaria's southern edge, Ahmadu Bello University is among the largest universities in sub-Saharan Africa, with a student body drawn from every region of Nigeria.

The dry season from November through February brings cool harmattan mornings and clear light. The rains arrive in May and last through September, when roads soften and overland travel slows considerably.

— about the piece in your home

It has carried well for customers with family or work in Kaduna and Kano. The tile reads as a quiet portrait of the old city, earth-coloured and dignified. A Small with a handwritten note from the studio travels well.

The ochre and umber range pairs with warm Maximalist rooms, earth-toned Mid-century interiors, and West African or Moroccan collected spaces. It sits well beside woven textiles, brass, and dark wood.

Yes. The current move toward terracotta, ochre, and clay-based palettes, sometimes called New Mediterranean or warm minimalism, fits the tile's tones cleanly without anchoring it to one trend.

A single Large carries above a console. Over a sofa, a 4-tile or 9-tile Mural reads at the right scale and holds the room without crowding the architecture above.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for kitchens and bathrooms. Both are scratch-resistant and tolerate steam; the colour lives in the ceramic surface and will not lift.

Yes. Every piece in the WenderVista atlas comes from one studio in Knoxville, Tennessee, with Reid Wender as the curating eye. There is no outside licensing.

— if this one stayed with you

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