Gao

Gao lies on the Niger at the eastern end of the river's great bend and was the capital of the Songhai empire, which at its height ruled a territory larger than western Europe. The Tomb of Askia is what survives of that, a stepped pyramid of earth seventeen metres high bristling with wooden stakes, built for the emperor Askia Mohammed in 1495 and listed by UNESCO. The Saturday market draws Songhai, Tuareg and Fulani traders from the desert. The Pink Dune across the river is the classic viewpoint over the Niger at sunset.