Gao is a city in Mali on the River Niger with a population of about 38,000 people.
The city was founded around the seventh century as Kawkaw, its first recorded monarch being Kanda , who founded the Za dynasty of what became the Songhai Empire. He ensured the city’s growth by allowing trans-Saharan traders to visit and Berbers to settle. Trade increased after Za Kossoi converted to Islam in 1009.
The Mali Empire conquered Gao in 1325, but Ali Golon re-established Songhai rule. Under Ali the Great in the late fifteenth century the city became centre of an empire, with about 70,000 residents and a 1,000-boat navy, but Gao was largely destroyed by the Moroccan invasion of 1591. The town remained small until French rule was imposed in the early twentieth century, expanding the port and establishing a colonial base.
Attractions in Gao include the original fourteenth century Gao Mosque , the Askia Tomb , built in 1495 and incorporating another mosque, a museum devoted to the Sahel, markets including a night market, and La Dune Rose , a sand dune named for its appearance at dawn and nightfall.
Gao has an international airport and is linked to cities along the Niger, including Timbuktu, by a ferry service.
