The founder of the Songhay empire, the hero Askia, ordered the building of the monument in 1495 in his capital Gao. It is a good indicator of the power and riches of the Empire, which flourished in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries through its control of the trans-Saharan trade routes for salt and gold.
According to UNESCO specialists,Askin is tomb is also a fine example of the monumental mud-building traditions of the West African Sahel. The building, where Emperor Askia is remains are supposedly placed, stands out as the largest precolonial architecrural monument in the whole region.