The ruins of Fasil Ghebbi in Gondar, Ethiopia

*WS 154 – The ruins of Fasil Ghebbi in Gondar, Ethiopia*

Gondar is a town some 750 km north of the capital Addis Ababa. It was the old capital of the Ethiopian Empire from around 1635 to 1855, founded by Emperor Fasilides. Before him the emperors were mostly nomads, staying in tents and moving around. There was no capital so to speak. So the settlement of Gondar is historic. 

The main tourist attraction in Gondor is the Fasil Ghebbi, (“ghebbi” means enclosure in the local Amharic language) which is a group of buildings, mostly palaces, built by Fasilides and his successors. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The architecture is a combination of native, Arabic and Hindu styles. The later ones had Baroque elements introduced by the Jesuits missionaries. We visited this place in 2015. 

The best preserved is the Fasilides Castle, which is also the biggest building, on the right in the 2nd photo, and also in the 3rd photo. The 4th and 5th photos show the ruins of the banquet hall and storage facilities. The 7th is the archives. The last shows the abandoned Fasilides Bath, located in another place outside the enclosure.