- Gao
Infobox Settlement
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image_caption =La Dune Rose and Gao city as seen from the top of theTomb of Askia .
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footnotes = Gao is a city inMali and capital of theGao Region on theRiver Niger , with a population of 57,978 in 2005.Communiqué du Conseil des ministres du 3 janvier 2007]History
Through much of its history, Gao was a center of trade and learning, and was capital of
Songhai Empire . It is similar to, and culturally connected with the great Trans-Saharan trade cities ofTimbuktu andDjenne . The city was founded around theseventh century as "Kawkaw", its first recorded monarch being Kanda, who founded theZa dynasty of what became theSonghai Empire . He ensured the city’s growth by allowingtrans-Saharan trade rs to visit and Berbers to settle. Trade increased afterZa Kossoi converted toIslam in1009 .The
Mali Empire conquered Gao sometime before1300 , butAli Golon re-established Songhai rule. A distinguished author of the period, Al-Idrissi, described it as a "populous, unwalled, commercial and industrial town, in which were to be found the produce of all arts and trades necessary for its inhabitants". Tim Insoll from St. John's College, Cambridge University, carried out important excavations in Gao. Some of his finds have been on display at theBritish Museum . Particularly intriguing was an exhibit entitled: "Fragments of alabaster window surrounds and a piece of pink window glass, Gao 10th - 14th century."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-boatnavy , but Gao was largely destroyed by the Moroccan invasion of1591 . The town remained small until French rule was imposed in the earlytwentieth century , expanding theport and establishing a colonial base.Culture
The population of Gao mostly speak Songhay but includes many ethicities, including the Bozo (traditionally nomadic river dwellers), Fulfulde/Fulani cattle herders, and
Tuareg nomads, as well asBambara peoples from western Mali.The seventh "Festival des arts et cultures songhay" was celebrated in February 2007 at
Gao , reflecting ithe cities importance as a Songhay cultural capital. [ Festival des arts et cultures Songhay: Un facteur d’épanouissement de la région de Gao, Les Echos du 14 février 2007]Sites
Attractions in Gao include the original
fourteenth century Gao Mosque , theAskia Tomb (aUNESCO World Heritage Site ) built in1495 and incorporating anothermosque , a museum devoted to theSahel ,market s including a night market, andLa Dune Rose , asand dune named for its appearance atdawn andnightfall .Economy
Gao has an international
airport (Gao International Airport ), and is linked to cities along the Niger, includingTimbuktu , by aferry service. While for centuries a transit and trade hub, the tourist industry, especially serving cruises of the Niger River, has also become important to the local economy.Area
A number of villages (including Bakal) are along the outskirts of Gao, in the Gao district.
Sports
The stadium "Stade Kassé Keïta" is in Gao, and was opened for
2002 African Cup of Nations .Twin Cities
Gao is twinned with
Thionville ,France andBerkeley, California , USA.References
Translation of [http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gao French Wikipedia Aricle] .
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