Gao Empire

Gaogao
c. 7th century–1325
Capital	Gao[1]
Common languages	Songhai
Religion	Islam, African traditional religion
Government	Empire
Historical era	Postclassical Era
• Established	c. 7th century
• Disestablished	1325
Succeeded by Songhai Empire
Today part of	Mali

The Gao Empire was a powerful kingdom that ruled the Niger bend from approximately the 7th century CE until their fall to the Mali Empire in the late 14th century. Ruled by the Za dynasty from the capital of Gao, the empire was an important predecessor of the Songhai Empire.