Career
She is the subject of many legends, but is believed by historians to have been a real ruler. There is controversy among scholars as to the date of her reign, one school placing her in the mid-15th century, and a second placing her reign in the mid to late 16th century. The Arabic female name Amina means truthful, trustworthy and honest.
More recent oral tradition has a series of lively stories about the queen, and these have found their way into popular culture.
Among them were: Amina was a fierce warrior and loved fighting. Amina holding the dagger did not shock Marka, rather it was that Amina held it exactly as a warrior would.
As an adult, she refused to marry for the fear of losing power. She helped Zazzau (Zaria) become the center of trade and to gain more land.
Her mother, Bakwa, died when Amina was 36 years old, leaving her to rule over Zaria.
She was also said to have taken a lover from among the conquered people after each battle, and to have killed or castrated him in the morning following their night together. The introduction of kola nuts into cultivation in the area is attributed to Amina. The Queen Amina Statue at the National Arts Theatre in Lagos State honors her, and multiple educational institutions bear her name.
She is widely credited with building the earthen walls that surround Hausa cities.
The warrior princess Amina Zarinde character who appears in "Elf Saga: Doomsday" (2014) by Joseph Robert Lewis is partly inspired by the Hausa queen.