"Gao is a very large city.... Most of its houses are ugly; however, a few, in which live the king and his court, have a fine aspect. Its inhabitants are rich merchants who travel constantly about the region with their wares. A great many Blacks come to the city bringing quantities of gold with which to purchase goods from the Berber country and from Europe, but they never find enough goods on which to spend all their gold and always take half or two-thirds of it home.
"The city is well-policed in comparison to Timbuktu. Bread and meat exist in great abundance, but one can find neither wine nor fruit. In truth, melons, cucumbers, and excellent squashes are abundant and they have enormous quantities of rice. Fresh-water wells are numerous. There is a place where they sell countless ... slaves on market days....
"The king has a special palace set aside for women, concubines, ... and for the eunuchs charged with watching over these women. He has ... a necessary guard of horsemen and foot-soldiers armed with bows. Between the public gate and the private door to his palace is a great courtyard surrounded by a wall. A gallery on each side of this courtyard is used for holding audiences. Even though the king handles all his affairs himself, he is aided by many functionaries, such as secretaries, captains, and stewards."1