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Gondar
World Heritage Site
Ethiopia, one of the most beautiful countries in the world with oldest civilizations and unique geographical features, is situated to the Horn of Africa. Recent studies witnessed that ancestor of the modern man used to live in Ethiopia three million years ago. Hence the nation has been a cross roods of civilizations and peoples for thousands of years.

Through this long process of civilization and history, quite a number of towns and cities had flourished. Of these, Gondar is a medieval royal city which was ascribed by UNESCO as the" World Heritage Site" in 1978.

Gondar is positioned in Northwestern Ethiopia, at about 740 and 175 kilometers away from Addis Ababa and Bahir-Dar respectively. Its altitude is 2200 meters above sea level.

Founded by emperor Fasiladas in 1636, the city of Gondar had been the seat of the Ethiopian state for about 250 years. The foundation of this Imperial city witnessed a period of optimism and renaissance of the golden days of Aksum and Lalibela. Architecture, literature, education, music, painting commerce that had been perished after the fall of ancient Aksum, rose to prominence.

It was also a center of commerce for Africa, South Arabia and the Mediterranean world. This medieval royal city has many things to offer for visitors: the imperial enclosure, the ancient monasteries, the Felasha village, the Fasil bridge, the rich daily market, and the culture of the people. The Simien Mountains National Park and Lake Tana's northern shore /Gorgora/ are also found with a short distance. 

 

The Royal Compound

Lying within 70,000 m.sq, the Royal Compound encompasses six lofty castles and many different purposed buildings like the royal archive, house of the musicians, the lion cage, the horse zoo, the sauna bath, house of the spinners etc. The earliest and grandest of all edifices is that of Emperor Fasiladas, which is 32 meters high and with battlemented square tower.

To the North of this castle stands the chancery of Emperor Yohannis I ( r/1667-1682) and a splendid palace of Iyasu I ( r/1682-1770). The palace of Iyasu was astonishingly embellished with ivory, gold, precious stone etc. To the North West, lies Dawit III's music hall, Emperor Bakafa's banquet house and empress Mintwab's palace. A huge circular wall with 12 gates forms the enclosure.
West of Emperor Fasil's archive, there is the church of Gimjabet Mariam, /the treasury of St. Mary/ and the tomb of W.C Plowden, British consul to Ethiopia in the 19th c.

The Bath of Emperor Fasiladas

 

It is a kilometer away to the west of the city. We are told that during the heyday of Gondar the bath had been used for sports and religious rites on the day of epiphany. But now it is employed only for the annual celebration of baptism. Near by lies the tomb of Emperor Fasiladas' great horse, Zobil.

 

The Monastery of Debre-Birhan Silassie

 

The monastery of Debre-Birhan Sillassie, built during the reign of Iyasu I, is famous especially for its fine frescoes. The ceiling and the beams are painted with rows of winged angels and the wall with impressive biblical events that reflect the life of Christ, Mary, the Saints and martyrs.
The church's compound is also a botanical garden rich with giant junipers and old olive trees on which birds of different species nest. At the back of the enclosure is a traditional school where famous clerics of the nation learn church music, writing and binding of parchments.

The Qusquam complex
Founded by Empress Mintwab, the monastery of Qusquam and the ruined palace are situated to the west of the town at about three kilometers from the city center.

Qusquam was the last flower of Gondar before glory of the city wilted due to court intrigues and destructive civil wars. Here visitors can see the old church ruined palace of the Empress, fine old manuscripts, skeletal remains of the Empress, her son Iyasu II and grand son Iyoas.

Ras Gimb

North of Gondar tourist information center is a majestic two storeyed square plan palace; the Ras Gimb also called Sehul Michael building. The palace has remarkable history. It was used as residence for the powerful Seoul Michael, provincial palace for Emperor Haile Silassie I, a house for Italian Generals during W.W II and a torture house during the Derg regime. The castle houses many historical items.

 

The Felasha Village
Situated three kilometers to the north from the city center, the small village of Weleqa was once   inhabited by the Felasha community (Ethiopian Jews). For its history and center of craftsmanship like earthen pots, Woleqa is one of the attractions frequented by tourists especially for earthen pots.

Gorgora and Its Environs
  The old town of Gorgora that lies on the Northern Shore of Lake Tana was the seat of Emperor Susenyos, father of Emperor Fasildas in the early 17thc. Near Gorgora are impressive monasteries of the 14thc of which Debre Sina Mariam is the most important. The living style of the monastic communities in the Mendaba monastery, the palace of Susenyos and the monument of Mussolini are other wonders. The palace is very shining and astonishingly ornamented; perhaps it was only here that the Portuguese masons invested their art of building.

Standing on a commanding hill, the monument of Mussolini offers an excellent look at Lake Tana and the fertile plains of Dembya. It is believed that it was built as a beacon for motorboats from the Lake. In addition to its cultural richness, Gorgora also allows a crazy birds view for bird watchers.

Guzara

Empereor Tsarsa-Dingle, founder of the Gondarine dynasty in the late 16thc,   had built a    fortified square plan castle on the Guzara hill. It is excellently positioned near the town of Enfranz at the side of Gondar- Bahir Dar highway overlooking the sandy beach of Lake Tana.

 

Kossoye-Queens Village
Found 30 kilometers from Gondar on the way to Aksum, Kosoye is known for its scenic beauty and usage as a camp when Queen Elisabeth of England visited Ethiopia in 1965. Standing to the west of the village enables to watch the most stunning and gentile escarpment that slops down to the Sudan.

Simien Mountains National Park:-World Natural Heritage Site

The Simien Mountains National Park is found 132 and 30 kilometers away from Gondar and the park gate town, Debark. Its altitude ranges from 1900-4620 meters above sea level.  Ras Dashen, the highest peak in Ethiopia and the fourth largest mountain in Africa, is part of the National Park. The temperature in the Simien National park varies from 15oc   to -5oc.
The area was designed to be a National Park in 1969 so as to preserve its spectacular scenery and scarce bio-diversity. In 1978, UNESCO ascribed the park as world natural heritage site.
The Dramatic topography of the Simien National park has resulted from the volcanic activity that occurred during the Oligocene period (C.40-25 million years ago). The lava flow of this period ended up with a creation of gigantic cliffs, towering battlements of flat-toped Ambas, dog tooth hills and great escarpments. In its scenic beauty, the Simien National park is very akin to the Grand Canyon of America. Mighty water falls gushed out from these overhanging cliffs. Dijnabr fall near Sankaber, for example, throws itself from 800 meters cliff. 

The Simien park is also graced by exceptional botanical phenomena that are so unique, abundant and rare some of which are olives, cedar, Abyssinian rose, junipers, giant heather, giant lobelia, erica and hundreds of species of flowers and shrubs.

 

The Simien National park is also a zoo of wild life that are found no where in our planet. Walia Ibex, Red fox, and Chilada Baboons are few to site. Over fifty species of birds have been also identified in the Simien Mountains National Park, which vary from minute to unusually huge creations. A typical example of the huge birds is the Lammergeyer. This magnificent bird has three meters wing and its feeding habit is amusing. It takes a larger bone into the sky and then throws it down on a huge rock and breaks into pieces. Then it enjoys the tasty bone marrow.
 

 

Attending the indigenous culture of the local people is another interest for tourists.
It is possible to buy egg, hen, sheep, and fire- wood potato etc from the local people.

Epiphany

The festival occurs on Jan 19every year. On the eve at about 3 p.m. congregations of ecclesiastics carrying a Tabot /Ark/ and being accompanied by the faithful march to the baptismal bath of Fasiladas.
Through out the night the services will continue and on the morrow comes the brilliant scene of the festival. The bishop / Abun/ and his clerics appear to the edge of the baptismal pool and attendants of the rite will gather round waiting for spraying of the blessed water. The Abun blesses the water with processional cross and splashes it over the crowd who are waiting eagerly redemption of their sins.

Then comes the colorful return occasion during which the feast attains its zenith. Every body feels full of life and sprits. The hymns from reverend clerics, the chanting and dancing of gay and beautiful girls, the heroic parade of handsome boys and of great men resonated through out the streets of Gondar. At about 2 p.m. the processions will arrive at their respective churches and the feast will come to its end.

The foundation of the holy cross on September 27 and the Ethiopian New Year are also interesting events.