Gondar
The medieval town of Gondar is located about 748 km from Addis Ababa Following the demise of Lalibela toward the end of the 13th century, Ethiopia had no national capital for hundreds of years. The emperors had to keep on the move on constant campaigns to safeguard their vast empire and ensure allegiance to their rule. For their seat of government, they had to make do with what are known in the historical literature as ‘roving tent capitals’. Tired of this migratory and nomadic lifestyle of so many of his forefathers, Emperor Fassiledes founded Gondar in 1636 and had the first and most magnificent of the castles built. Succeeding Emperors made their own additions mostly within the same castle compound. Although the exact date of construction of this imposing edifice is not known, a Yemeni ambassador visiting Gondar in 1648 described it as “one of the most marvelous of buildings”.
