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GAO

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Originally appearing in Volume V11, Page 455 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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GAO , GAO-GAO, or GARO, a See also:

town of See also:French See also:West See also:Africa, in the Upper See also:Senegal and See also:Niger See also:colony, on the See also:left See also:bank of the Niger, 400 m. by See also:river below See also:Timbuktu. Pop. about 5000. The See also:present town See also:dates from the French occupation in 'goo; of the See also:ancient See also:city there are scanty ruins, the See also:chief being a truncated See also:pyramid, the remains of the See also:tomb With See also:century) of Mahommed Askia, the See also:Songhoi conqueror, and those of the See also:great See also:mosque. According to tradition a city stood on this spot in very ancient times and its inhabitants are said to have had intercourse with the Egyptians. It is known, however, that the city of which the French See also:settlement is the successor was founded by the Songhoi, probably in the 7th or 8th century, and became the See also:capital of their See also:empire. Garo (Ga-rho) appears to have been the correct name of the Songhoi city, though it was also known as See also:Gogo and Kuku (Kaougha).' In the 12th century See also:Idrisi describes Kuku as 1 There was another city called Kaoka or Gaoga See also:east of See also:Lake See also:Chad in the See also:country now known as See also:Bagirmi. It was the seat of the a populous unwalled town devoted to See also:commerce and See also:industry; it is possible, however, that Idrisi is referring not to Gao but to another town somewhat to the south—at that See also:period the See also:middle course of the Niger had many prosperous towns along its See also:banks. In the 14th century Gao was conquered by the See also:king of See also:Melle, and its great mosque was built (c. 1325) by the Melle See also:sovereign Kunkur Musa on his return from a See also:pilgrimage to See also:Mecca. In the 15th century the Songhoi regained See also:power and Gao attained its greatest prosperity in the reign of Askia. It did not enjoy the commercial importance of See also:Jenne nor the intellectual supremacy of Timbuktu, but was the See also:political centre of the western See also:Sudan for a See also:long period. On the break up of the Songhoi power the city declined in importance.

It became subject in 1590 to the Ruma of Timbuktu, from whom it was wrested in 1770 by the See also:

Tuareg, the last named surrendering See also:possession to the French. The first See also:European to reach Gao was Mungo See also:Park (1805); he was followed in 1851 by Heinrich See also:Barth, and in 1896 by the French See also:naval See also:lieutenant Hourst. Gao is now the headquarters of a military See also:district. A See also:caravan route leads from it to See also:Kano and See also:Bornu. From Gao upwards the Niger is navigable for over r000 m. See TIMBUKTU. For the Gao region of the Niger see an See also:article by F. See also:Dubois in L'Afrique francaise (See also:January 1909).

End of Article: GAO

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