Information AboutGao |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT GAO | |
| cities in mali | |
| history of mali | |
| mali empire | |
| songhai empire | |
| french west africa | |
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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 Trade rs to visit and Berber s 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 , Market s 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. A number of villages (including Bakal ) are along the outskirts of Gao, in the Gao district. |
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