Timbuktu's Lost City of Gold: The Rise and Fall of Gao

In this episode of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna explore the ancient city of Gao, the political and economic powerhouse that rivaled Timbuktu. Long before Mansa Musa's pilgrimage, Gao was a crossroads of the trans-Saharan trade, a center of gold and salt exchange, and the seat of the Songhai Empire. We trace Gao's origins under the Za dynasty, its conversion to Islam under Kossoi, its annexation by Mali, and its spectacular rise under Sunni Ali and Askia Muhammad. We also examine the controversial reign of Askia Ishaq II, whose doomed negotiations with Judar Pasha led to Songhai's fall. Drawing on the Tarikh al-Sudan and the writings of al-Sa'di and Ibn Battuta, we piece together the story of a city that was sacked and looted, but whose legacy endures in the manuscripts and mosques of the Niger bend. Join us as we uncover the lost city of gold. #Gao #SonghaiEmpire #TransSaharanTrade #SunniAli #AskiaMuhammad #JudarPasha #Timbuktu #SaadianInvasion #TarikhAlSudan #IbnBattuta #ZaDynasty #MaliEmpire #WestAfricanHistory #GoldTrade #SaltTrade #NigerRiver #AfricanEmpires #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo