Identification and Mapping of Ancient Trade Routes in Kano State Using Remote Sensing Data

Long-distance trade was a central organizing force in the pre-colonial economy of the Central Sudan, and Kano served as one of its principal nodes for centuries. However, the physical traces of trans-Saharan and intra-regional trade routes in the Kano hinterland remain poorly mapped from an archaeological perspective. This study uses freely available satellite imagery, including Landsat 8 and Sentinel-2 data, to identify candidate linear features, caravanserai sites, and landscape anomalies potentially associated with historic trade corridors in Kano State. The methodology integrates remote sensing interpretation with archival map analysis and targeted ground-truthing at five selected localities. Results indicate several previously undocumented linear pathways that align with oral historical accounts of Kano-Katsina and Kano-Zaria trade roads, as well as a cluster of mounded features near Wudil that may represent market or overnight rest stop locations. The study acknowledges the limitations of remote sensing for subsurface feature detection and recommends geophysical survey as a follow-up step. Findings are situated within recent scholarship on the archaeology of exchange and mobility in West Africa, with reference to published accounts of comparable route archaeology from Mali and Chad. The research demonstrates the potential of low-cost geospatial methods for heritage prospection in densely settled landscapes where conventional survey is logistically challenging. Keywords: trade routes, remote sensing, Kano State, pre-colonial economy, landscape archaeology.