Gondar
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Gondar became the capital of Ethiopia
during the reign of Emperor Fasil (1632-1667) who succeeded in making
Gondar as a strong power.
Gondar rose to prominence after Ethiopia went through a long period of
time without a fixed capital and emerged in the 17th century as the largest
settlement in the country. Gondar was noted important for the administration
of the whole country, a center of commerce, and a focus of culture, expressed
distinct architecture, music, poetry, painting and manuscript writing.
The city retained its pre-eminence until the middle of the nineteenth
century, when emperor Tewodros II moved his seat of government to Debre
Tabore and later to Mekdela.
As a result, Gondar declined in importance and was subsequently looted
in the 1880’s by the Sudanese Dervishes. BY the early nineteenth century
the city was a mere shadow of the former self.
More recently, several historic buildings were damaged by British bombing
during the Ethiopian liberation campaign of 1941. Most of Gondar ’s famous
castles and other imperial buildings never less have survived the ravages
of time and together constitute one of Ethiopia’s most fascinating antiquities.
Ethiopia has old tradition in architecture and the style of the Gondar
castles is consistent with this tradition.
Historical Gondar and its surroundings are most representative of the
medieval culture of Ethiopia .
The oldest and most impressive of Gondar ’s imperial structure is the
two storied palace of Emperor Fasil , which is built roughly hewn brown
basalt stones held together with lime mortar. The architecture has Indian,
Portuguese and Axumite influences.
Other buildings in the imperial quarter of Gondar include the library
of emperor Yohnes I (1667 – 1682) a near by chancellery; the saddle shaped
castle of emperor Iyasu I (1682-1706); the large hall or house of song
of emperor Dadwit III (1716-1721), in which many ceremonies took place
informer days; the long V-shaped reception and banqueting hall of Bakaffa(1722-1730),
and the two storied palace of the latter’s redoubtable consort, empress
Mentewab.
The palace compound is the site of the grave of one of the most remarkable
nineteenth century foreign traveler to Ethiopia, emperor Tewodros’s close
friend, Walter Plowden,
a some time British consul.
The other important attractions in the city of Gondar are:
Bath of Fasil, found North West of the city of center. This is a water
basin of about 50m x30m, and up to 2.5m deep, in the center of which stands
a two-storied square castle, built of row basalt stone. The whole is surrounded
by a beautiful park with trees.
In Gondar the annual celebration commemorating Christ’s baptism in the
river Jordan , “TIMKAT”, the most important religious holiday in Ethiopia
, is held here on January 19.
Near the bath of Emperor Fasil stand the ruins of a small mausoleum, generally
known as the tomb of the horse Zubel, emperor Fasil’s favorite horse.
Debreberhane Selassie church (“Trinity church of the mountain of Light
”), it was constructed during the reign of emperor Iyasu in the 17th century.
The church is one of the country’s most famous church, and one of the
highlights of Gondar -and Ethiopia .
In side the church when you see the ceiling, there are 80 winged heads
of cherubs entirely cover the ceiling. The paintings on the wall of the
church are also very attractive.
The handicrafts in the village of Wolleka , formerly inhabited by Falashas,
or Judaic Ethiopians; and the market especially on Saturday are some of
the attractions.