Tomb of Askia

The Tomb of Askia was built by Askia Muhammad, the Emperor of Songhai, in 1495. Located in Gao, a city in Mali near the banks of the River Niger, the dramatic and notably spiky-looking pyramidal tomb is part of a complex that also includes two flat-roofed mosque buildings, the mosque cemetery, and an open-air assembly ground.

Askia Muhammad was a West African statesman and military leader who took the throne of the Songhai Empire in 1493. He was a highly capable ruler who introduced an efficient administrative system across the lands of his sprawling empire, one of the largest states in African history. He divided Songhai into provinces, each with its own governor, and created new positions for the directors of finance, justice, interior, agriculture, water, and more. He also built a standing army under the command of a general, and appointed an admiral to command his fleet of war canoes.