- "Re-sharpen your weapons, saddle your horses, and make your peace with the divine. Today, we conquer."
Amina (1533 – 1610), also known as Aminatu, was a Hausa warrior-queen who ruled the kingdom of Zazzau in north-west Nigeria from 1576 until her death. A fierce warrior and conqueror, her reign saw her wage a 34-year campaign against her neighboring kingdoms, vastly expanding Zazzau's territory and influence and establishing control over the lucrative Trans-Saharan trade routes of the desertic Sahel region. She is a leader in Civilization VII.
Intro[]
Amina, sarauniya of the Hausa, bowing to none, prepare your mount for war. You who would not serve, protected those who served you behind high walls - and rode down those who would not. Fight now, sarauniya, and gain what is yours.
In-Game[]
Amina has the 
Economic and 
Militaristic 
Attributes. Her default colors are dark green and white.
Her leader ability is Warrior-Queen of Zazzau. It grants +1 
Resource Capacity on her 
Cities, +1 
Gold per Age for each Resource assigned to Cities, and +5 
Combat Strength for her 
Units when fighting in Plains and Desert.
Her agenda is Desert of the Warrior Queen. Her Relationship increases by a Small Amount if players have no Settlements on Plains or Desert, and decreases by a Medium Amount if they have more than her.
Strategy[]
Amina is one of many leaders who offers a strong Militaristic playstyle, and in order to 
Support her frequent 
Wars, she also provides several Economic bonuses that help her maintain a powerful empire. Unlike many warmongering leaders, however, she might not want to be in constant conflict throughout the entire game, as her wartime bonuses are only strong in specific scenarios, while her economic bonuses are always useful. Out of all the war-focused leaders, she is perhaps one of the (relatively) more peaceful ones — although her real-life counterpart and her highly aggressive AI-controlled version certainly suggest she should be fighting across all Ages.
+5 Combat Strength on all Units in Plains and Desert[]
Having a flat +5 to Combat Strength is quite powerful, as most bonuses offered by other leaders and civilizations typically grant only 1–3 Combat Strength. However, this bonus becomes entirely useless if you fight outside 
Plains and Desert Terrain, which is quite likely if you expand far and wide, as all Terrain types are common across continents.
Ideally, you want to start conquering in the Antiquity Age, securing as many Settlements in Plains and Desert as possible. Then, during the Exploration and Modern Ages, you can sit back and grow your Cities to benefit from Amina's Economic bonuses. If you follow this approach, the +5 Combat Strength remains relevant for defending your wealthy Desert and Plains Cities from counterattacks.
If you do continue conquering, the bonus can still come up regularly — Plains and Desert appear in multiple regions of most maps. It is particularly helpful when fighting in Distant Lands, as many of the Cities there can be located in expansive Plains regions, allowing you to take advantage of the combat boost.
+1 Resource capacity in Cities, +1 Gold per Age for each resource assigned to Cities[]
Like the Militaristic part of her kit, this Economic bonus is at its strongest during the Antiquity Age, primarily because it makes completing the Economic Legacy Path much easier — you need to slot 20 Resources, and sometimes the bottleneck is Slot availability, not the Resources themselves.
In the Exploration Age, the additional Resource Capacity remains a nice passive benefit, but it's not something you actively think about, nor is it game-changing.
In the Modern Age, if you have secured a large number of 
Factory Resources, the extra slot can help you push toward an Economic Victory slightly faster — but this depends heavily on how many of those Factory Resources you've acquired. If you've expanded aggressively, you may well have enough Settlements to make excellent use of this bonus. Meanwhile, the +1 Gold per Age per Resource is actually the scaling part of her kit: by the Modern Age, you will have far more slotted Resources producing far more Gold, making this bonus a significant contributor to your Economic strength and arguably the most impactful part of Amina's abilities in later Ages.
Civilization recommendations[]
Antiquity Age[]
Egyptian:
- Despite the game recommending Aksum, Egypt is actually Amina's strongest Antiquity Age pick. Both share a Desert start bias, and Egypt's secondary Navigable River bias complements Amina's Plains preference without interfering. Desert Settlements provide strong early Production and Gold, while Egypt's boosted Rivers supply the Food and Culture needed for rapid growth — exactly what Amina wants for early military buildup.
- Egypt's Unique Buildings and Quarter generate additional Gold, supporting Amina's economy throughout Antiquity. The match isn't perfect though — Egypt prefers investing in Wonders, and the Medjay excels defensively rather than offensively — but the Medjay's Combat Strength in friendly Desert Terrain still helps secure newly conquered Settlements.
- Finally, Egypt's River-heavy starts also set up smooth transitions into Songhai and Buganda in later Ages, both of which Amina reliably unlocks and synergizes with.
- Despite the game recommending Aksum, Egypt is actually Amina's strongest Antiquity Age pick. Both share a Desert start bias, and Egypt's secondary Navigable River bias complements Amina's Plains preference without interfering. Desert
- Aksumite:
- Aksum deserves mention as well. While Aksum lacks a Desert start bias — meaning you may not reliably start in Amina's preferred biomes — this is not necessarily detrimental, as all starting biomes are fairly balanced.
- Aksum is the strongest option if you specifically want to start in Plains, though this does not offer any special advantage over Desert for Amina. More importantly, Aksum is an excellent civilization for pure Economic play, making it the best pick if you prefer to lean into Amina's Economic strengths and play a less War-heavy game.
- Achaemenid Persian:
- Persia also has a Desert and Plains start bias — identical to Amina's — and it is strong on both Economic and Militaristic fronts. Persia is generally a very good match for a warmonger like Amina. One could argue that Persia is her most natural pairing, but Egypt's versatility and its ability to set up for strong Exploration and Modern Age transitions compensates for Persia's more narrowly War-focused bonuses.
- Persia also has a Desert and Plains start bias — identical to Amina's — and it is strong on both
Exploration Age[]
- Songhai:
- Songhai is Amina's strongest Exploration Age civilization and aligns closely with her historical and gameplay focus on military expansion supported by wealthy Cities.
- Songhai performs best when its key Cities sit on Navigable Rivers — something you will likely achieve if you started with Egypt or began the game in the Exploration Age. Its civ ability adds an extra Resource Slot to Cities, neatly stacking with Amina's own bonus.
- Songhai generates substantial Gold through its Traditions, abilities, and Unique Unit. Its distinctive perk — Homeland Cities producing Treasure Points — may seem situational, but it provides meaningful flexibility in Distant Land settlement. It allows you to prioritize strong City locations rather than chasing Treasure Resources, while still progressing efficiently toward the Economic Legacy Path. This is particularly valuable on faster speeds, where early Legacy timing is more demanding.
- Songhai is Amina's strongest Exploration Age civilization and aligns closely with her historical and gameplay focus on military expansion supported by wealthy
- Spanish:
- Spain is an excellent choice if you plan to conquer the Distant Lands aggressively. However, its unlock requirement is inconvenient, and none of Amina's recommended Antiquity Age civilizations naturally lead into Spain.
- Bulgarian:
- Bulgaria does not inherently synergize with Amina, but it excels at pillaging. Amina is one of the few leaders who always has access to Buganda — a Modern Age civ that deeply specializes in pillaging.
- If you can secure the Mausoleum of Theodoric in the Antiquity Age, then transition into Bulgaria and later Buganda, you can pursue a very effective scorched earth strategy, destroying enemy Settlements while avoiding the burden of managing Unhappy conquests.
- Not recommended:
- Mongolia might seem like an obvious Militaristic pairing, but it focuses on conquering Homeland Cities — something Amina should have already completed in the Antiquity Age. By the time you reach the Exploration Age, Amina ideally controls most of the Plains and Desert around her, diminishing Mongolia's usefulness.
- Mongolia might seem like an obvious
Modern Age[]
Unlike in the previous Ages, Amina does not have a single perfect match, but she does have a few solid options:
- Bugandan:
- As noted above, Buganda is a pillaging-focused civilization. Without proper setup, pillaging is not a very impactful niche, since it does not directly contribute to Militaristic Victory and the yields are inconsistent. Still, if you intend to wage War in the Modern Age, Buganda is a fine choice — though you may very well prefer to shift into Economic play by this point.
- As noted above, Buganda is a pillaging-focused civilization. Without proper setup, pillaging is not a very impactful niche, since it does not directly contribute to
- Mexican:
- Mexico is a flexible civilization that offers bonuses across nearly every aspect of gameplay, including both Militaristic and Economic strengths. It is also relatively easy to unlock if you conquer Distant Lands Cities in Amina's preferred biomes, as it requires only 3 Cities in Desert (or Tropical, though Amina should avoid the latter).
- However, Mexico is a generalist civilization — good at everything but specialized in nothing — which may not suit Amina's strongly focused strengths.
- Mexico is a flexible civilization that offers bonuses across nearly every aspect of gameplay, including both
- Other:
- America and Great Britain are both powerful Economic– Militaristic hybrid civilizations and are simple to unlock (America requires 3 Cities in Plains or Grasslands, Great Britain requires 2 Fleet Commanders). However, neither has a strong natural synergy with Amina's strengths.
- Prussia is a more straightforward War-focused civilization, ideal if you want pure conquest and nothing else. But by the Modern Age, you should already control most of the Plains and Desert on the map, making further conquest less valuable than pursuing an Economic Victory instead.
- America and Great Britain are both powerful
Lines[]
Amina is voiced by Umma Yunisa. She speaks Hausa using some archaic words.
Voiced[]
| Line | Quote (English translation) | Quote (Hausa) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quote | Re-sharpen your weapons, saddle your horses, and make your peace with the divine. Today, we conquer. | Ku ƙara wa sa makaman ku, ku sanya sirdi a kan dawakanku, ku nemi agaji buwayi gagarau. Yau, mu ci galaba. | "Re-sharpen your weapons" was allegedly the first order Amina gave her subjects after taking the throne, telling them to prepare for war. |
| Greeting | I am Amina, Sarauniya and taker of whatever — and whomever — pleases me. | Ni ce Amina, Sarauniya Amina, kuma me ƙwace komai sannan mai karɓe dukka wanda ta ke so. | "Taker of whatever — and whomever — pleases me" might reference the legend that Amina took a different lover in every new city she conquered, only to kill them the next morning. |
| Attacked | Our blades are sharp. Your necks are soft. | Takubbanmu a washe suke. Rayuwar ku na gab da fita. | |
| Declares War | As we devour your cities with war, we will open the gates, and let the hyenas break your bones. | Inda mu ka cinye garuruwar ku da yaƙi, za mu buɗe ƙofofi, mu sako kuraye su farfasa ƙasusuwar ku. | |
| Accepts Player's Deal | The sands shift. | Ba tabbas a rayuwa. | |
| Rejects Player's Deal | I say no to you. | Toh, ban amince ba. | |
| Defeated | From obscurity I rose, and to it I must return. From the desert I will watch you. | Mafarin dawa zuciya, komin nisan jifa, ƙasa za ta dawo, ina ankara da ku. |
Leader Path[]
| Level | Unlocks |
|---|---|
| 2 |  Takoba
|
| 3 | Economic Attribute Node
|
| 4 | Exploration Economic Legacy Card |
Exploration Militaristic Legacy Card
| |
| 5 |  Kwalkwali |
| 6 | Amina Badge 1
|
Amina Banner
| |
| 7 | Militaristic Attribute Node
|
| 8 | Modern Economic Legacy Card |
Modern Militaristic Legacy Card
| |
| 9 |  Rawani
|
| 10 | Amina Badge 2
|
Warrior-Queen
|
Civilopedia entry[]
Modern-day Nigeria is built on the foundations of multiple layers of history, ethnic groups, and configurations of city-states in the pre-colonial period. Of these, the Hausa are dominant in the northern region, and Zazzau was one of their pre-eminent states.
To understand the politics of West Africa, one should examine both geography and trade routes. The most notable overland routes ran through the cold Siberian steppe and the Sahara Desert, both highways linking the resources of West Africa to the wealth of Asia (with their nexus in Arabia). As with the Silk Road, Islam was the predominant religion of these networks.
In the 1500s, this configuration began to change with the arrival of large oceangoing ships from Portugal (and soon after, other European powers). Saharan trade started moving towards sending trade down to Portuguese and other outposts on the coast, even as North African trade routes remained focused on the Middle East. In both cases, major trade goods included cotton, indigo, salt, kola, leather, gold and those unfortunate enough to be captured and enslaved. Local kings and warlords made profits, but this influx of wealth from a variety of sources made for highly unstable societies, as everyone sought the latest and most lucrative sources of wealth.
Zazzau was one such city-state in northern Nigeria, a home to the Hausa people of the Sahel. Amina was the daughter of its king. In popular tradition, Amina was preternaturally gifted at combat, holding a knife as a child in the exact way a warrior would hold a sword. When her father and brother died, she took over the reign of Zazzau.
The idea of a Muslim warrior queen might at first seem unusual. It shouldn’t. Hausa Islam was highly syncretic, meaning that it incorporated a lot of other influences under the umbrella of “Islam” – indeed, this was a reason why war plagued the area, as reformers sought to bring religion in closer dialogue with Arabia, and others leaned on alternative, more traditional sources of authority.
Amina went on a series of conquests starting in 1576; her first command to her soldiers was “sharpen your weapons.” She fought for decades, so often that her warriors quickly became accomplished veterans, and she united much of the Hausa territory.
With conquest comes stability and trade. The union of land under Zazzau allowed Sahara-bound routes to remain open and viable, even as the more coastal settlements turned towards expanding European presences. However, those trade routes were to prove Amina’s undoing, at least in terms of her legacy. As Hausaland became increasingly linked with conservative Islam, the concept of warrior queens faded, and official roles for women were diminished, a trend that persisted after British colonization. But today, in a postcolonial Nigeria and especially in Hausaland, Amina’s legend continues, and she has become a national hero.
Amina’s conquests involved the militarization of much of the Nigerian Sahel and the fortification of Hausa cities and towns. The most colorful legend stemming from her conquests claims that she took a lover in every city she conquered, and then killed the man the morning after – a sure way to preserve one’s independence and legacy.
Trivia[]
- Amina's leader ability is her title as queen of Zazzau, while her agenda references the desertic Sahel region that occupies northern Nigeria.
- Amina was one of the first four leaders that were officially confirmed for Civilization VII during playtesting, along with Hatshepsut, Augustus, and Ashoka, World Renouncer.
Gallery[]
.png "Amina three-quarter length (Civ7).png (609 KB)")
Videos[]
First Look- Amina - Civilization VII
First Look: Amina
Related achievements[]
|
Woman-o-war.
Win the modern age as Amina.
|
See also[]
- Amina in other games