Sahelian trading kingdom on the Niger bend, nucleus of the later Songhai Empire.
The pre-Songhai Gao Empire was conquered by the Mali Empire c. 1325 and administered by Mali until Songhai chiefs reasserted independence in the late 14th century; Gao then served as nucleus of the Songhai Empire, which under Sunni Ali (r. 1464–1492) superseded it as the dominant polity.
Treats the early urban Niger-bend polities including Gao, nucleus of Songhai.
Gao as the seed of the later Songhai imperial tradition (broad West African context).