Overview of the city with Fasilides castle in the center.

Gondar or Gonder (Ge'ez: ጎንደር Gōnder, older ጐንደር Gʷandar, modern pronunciation Gʷender) is a city in Ethiopia, which was once the old imperial capital and capital of the historic Begemder province. As a result, the old province of Begemder is sometimes referred to as Gondar. Located in the Semien Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, Gondar is north of Lake Tana on the Lesser Angereb River and southwest of the Simien Mountains. The city has a longitude and latitude of 12°36′N, 37°28′E. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2848 × 2136 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2848 × 2136 pixel, file size: 1. ... Note: This article contains special characters. ... Begemder was a province in the north-eastern part of Ethiopia, with its capital city at Gondar. ... Semen Gondar (or North Gondar) is a Zone in the Ethiopian Amhara Region. ... Map of Ethiopia highlighting the Amhara region. ... Lake Tana (also spelled Tana, Amharic: ጣና ሐይቅ Ṭānā Hāyḳ,Lake Tana, originally Tsana, Geez ጻና Ṣānā; sometimes called Dembiya after the region to the north of the lake) is the source of the Blue Nile and is the largest lake in Ethiopia. ... The Semien Mountains lie in northern Ethiopia, north east of Gonder. ...

Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, Gondar has an estimated total population of 194,773 of whom 97,625 were males and 97,148 were females. The woreda has an estimated area of 40.27 square kilometers, which gives Gondar a density of 4,836.70 people per square kilometer.^[1] According to the 1994 national census, this city had 112,249 inhabitants. The Central Statistical Agency (CSA) is an agency of the government of Ethiopia designated to provide all surveys and censuses for that country used to monitor economic and social growth, as well as to act as an official training center in that field. ...

History

Until the 16th century, the Solomonic Emperors of Ethiopia usually had no fixed capital, instead living in tents in temporary royal camps as they moved around their realms while their family, bodyguard and retinue devoured surplus crops and cut down nearby trees for firewood. One exception to this rule was Debre Berhan, founded by Zara Yaqob in 1456; Tegulet in Shewa was also essentially the capital during the first century of Solomonic rule. The Solomonid dynasty is the traditional royal house of Ethiopia, claiming descent from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, who is said to have given birth to the traditional first king Menelik I after her Biblically-described visit to Solomon in Jerusalem. ... The Emperor (Geez ንጉሠ ነገሥት, , King of Kings) of Ethiopia was the hereditary ruler of Ethiopia until the abolition of the monarchy in 1975. ... Military tents U.S. Army tent with constructed wooden entrance, climate control unit and sandbags for protection. ... Debre Berhan is a town in the Amhara region of Ethiopia, about 120 kilometers north east of Addis Ababa, on the paved highway to Dessie. ... Zara Yaqob (throne name Kuestantinos I or Constantine I) (1399 - 1468) was negus (1434 - 1468) of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonid dynasty. ... // Events July 7 - Joan of Arc acquitted (but she had already been executed). ... Shewa (also spelled Shoa) is a historical region of Ethiopia. ...

Beginning with Emperor Minas in 1559, the rulers of Ethiopia began spending the rainy season near Lake Tana, often returning to the same location again and again. These encampments, which flourished as cities for a short time, include Emfraz, Ayba, Gorgora, and Dankaz. Minas is the capital of the department of Lavalleja in Uruguay. ... January 15 - Elizabeth I of England is crowned in Westminster Abbey. ... The wet season is a term commonly used when describing the weather in the tropics. ... Lake Tana (also spelled Tana, Amharic: ጣና ሐይቅ Ṭānā Hāyḳ,Lake Tana, originally Tsana, Geez ጻና Ṣānā; sometimes called Dembiya after the region to the north of the lake) is the source of the Blue Nile and is the largest lake in Ethiopia. ... Gorgora is a town in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia, lying south of Gondar on the north shore of Lake Tana. ...

Gondar was founded by Emperor Fasilides around the year 1635, and grew as an agricultural and market town. There was a superstition at the time that the capital's name should begin with the letter 'Gʷa' (modern pronunciation 'Gʷe'; Gonder was originally spelt Gʷandar), which also contributed to Gorgora's (founded as Gʷargʷara) growth in the centuries after 1600. Tradition also states that a buffalo led the Emperor Fasilides to a pool beside the Angereb, where an "old and venerable hermit" told the Emperor he would locate his capital there. Fasilides had the pool filled in and built his castle on that same site.^[2] The emperor also built a total of seven churches; the first two, Fit Mikael and Fit Abbo, were built to end local epidemics. The five emperors who followed him also built their palaces in the town. Fasilides or Basilides (throne name `Alam Sagad), b at Magazaz, Shewa, in 1603 before 10 November, was (1632 - October 18, 1667) of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonid dynasty. ... Events February 10 - The Académie française in Paris is expanded to become a national academy for the artistic elite. ... The market town is a medieval phenomenon. ... In epidemiology, an epidemic (from [[Latin language] epi- upon + demos people) is a disease that appears as new cases in a given human population, during a given period, at a rate that substantially exceeds what is expected, based on recent experience (the number of new cases in the population during...

In 1668, as a result of a church council, the Emperor Yohannes I ordered that the inhabitants of Gondar be segregated by religion. This caused the Muslims to move into their own quarter, Islamge (Ge'ez: እስላምጌ "Islam place," or "Islam country") or Islam Bet (እስላም ቤት "House of Islam," lit. "Islam house"), within two years. 1668 (MDCLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Wednesday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... Yohannes I or John I was negus (1667 - 1682) of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonid dynasty. ... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ...

During the seventeenth century, the city's population is estimated to have exceeded 60,000 and was the second largest city in the world.^[3] In 1678, the visiting Armenian bishop Hovannes remarked that the city was "twice as big as Istanbul".^[4] Many of the buildings from this period survive, as the eighteenth century was a time of turmoil and the city declined. Istanbul (Turkish: , Greek: , historically Byzantium and later Constantinople; see other names) is Turkeys most populous city, and its cultural and financial center. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ...

The town served as Ethiopia's capital until Tewodros II moved the Imperial capital to Magadala (having forcibly depopulated the city and destroyed much of the infrastructure) upon being crowned Emperor in 1855. Abdallahi ibn Muhammad sacked Gondar when he invaded Ethiopia in 1887. Gondar was further developed under Italian occupation; during the Second World War, Italian forces made their last stand in Gondar in November 1941, after Addis Ababa fell to British forces in May. Tewodros II (also known as Theodore II) (born Kassa Hailu) (1818-1868) was an emperor of Ethiopia. ... Amba Mariam is a village in the Amhara region of central Ethiopia. ... Year 1855 (MDCCCLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Abdullah Ibn-Mohammed or Abdullah et Taaisha ( 1846 – November 24, 1899), also known as The Khalifa was a Sudanese Dervish General and ruler. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... For the long-distance runner, see Addis Abebe. ...

As part of Operation Tewodros near the end of the Ethiopian Civil War, Gondar was captured by the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front in March 1991. Combatants Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Party (Ihapa), All-Ethiopia Socialist Movement (MEISON), Eritrean Peoples Liberation Front, Tigray Peoples Liberation Front Derg (later Peoples Democratic Republic of Ethiopia) The Ethiopian Civil War was a 17 year long civil war in Ethiopia. ... The Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front, or EPRDF, is the ruling political party of Ethiopia. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Points of interest

The modern city of Gondar is popular as a tourist attraction for its many picturesque ruins in the Royal Enclosure, from which the Emperors once reigned. Gondar is also a noted center of ecclesiastical learning in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (in Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ተዋሕዶ ቤተክርስትያን Yäityopya ortodoks täwahedo bétäkrestyan) is an Oriental Orthodox church in Ethiopia that was part of the Coptic Orthodox Church until 1959, when it was granted its own Patriarch by Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All...

Crowds gather at the Fasilides' Bath in Gondar to celebrate Timket - the Epiphany for the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.

The most famous buildings in the city lie in the seventeenth century Royal Enclosure, including Fasilides castle, Iyasu's Palace, Dawit's Hall, a banqueting hall, stables, Mentewab's Castle, a chancellery, library and three churches. Near the city lie Fasiladas' Bath, home to an annual ceremony where it is blessed and then opened for bathing; the Qusquam complex, built by Empress Mentewab; the eighteenth century Ras Mikael Sehul's Palace and the Debre Berhan Selassie Church. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 656 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (800 × 731 pixel, file size: 148 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 656 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (800 × 731 pixel, file size: 148 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Wise Men (Magi) adoring the infant Jesus. ... The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (in Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ተዋሕዶ ቤተክርስትያን Yäityopya ortodoks täwahedo bétäkrestyan) is an Oriental Orthodox church in Ethiopia that was part of the Coptic Orthodox Church until 1959, when it was granted its own Patriarch by Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... King Fasilides Castle. ... Leland Stanfords horse stable, still in use Horse kept in stable A stable is a building in which livestock, usually horses, are kept. ... Chancellery is the office of the chancellor, sometimes also reffered to as the chancery. ... Julio Pérez Ferrero Library - Cúcuta, Colombia A modern-style library in Chambéry A library is a collection of information resources and services, organized for use, and maintained by a public body, institution, or private individual. ... It has been suggested that Ecclesia (Church) be merged into this article or section. ... Mentewab (How beautiful), b c 1706 at Qwara, d at Qwasqwam Palace, near Gondar, 27th June 1773, was Empress of Ethiopia, the consort of Emperor Bakaffa, mother of Iyasu II and grandmother of Iyoas I. She was also known officially by her baptismal name of Welete Giyorgis (Daughter of St. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ...

Downtown Gondar shows the influence of the Italian occupation of the late 1930s. The main piazza features shops, a cinema, and other public buildings in a simplified Italian Moderne style still distinctively of the period despite later changes and, frequently, neglect. Villas and flats in the nearby quarter that once housed occupation officials and colonists are also of interest. Streamline Moderne, sometimes referred to by either name alone, was a late branch of the Art Deco style. ...

The town is also home to an airport (ICAO code HAGN, IATA GDQ), and Gondar University which includes Ethiopia's main faculty of medicine. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an agency of the United Nations, develops the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth. ... The International Air Transport Association is an international trade organization of airlines headquarted in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ...

Sister City

• As designated by Sister Cities International, Gondar is a sister city with Corvallis, Oregon.
• Rishon LeZion, Israel

Sister Cities International is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and fostering town twinning, especially between a city in the United States and a city in another country. ... Sign denoting twin towns of Neckarsulm, Germany Town twinning is a concept whereby towns or cities in geographically and politically distinct areas are paired with the goal of fostering human contact and cultural links. ... Corvallis (IPA: ) is a city located in central western Oregon, USA. Originally called Marysville, (possibly after early settler Mary Lloyd but now thought to be derived from French fur-trappers naming of a local paek after the Virgin Mary [1]), the legislative assembly changed the citys name to Corvallis... Image File history File links Flag_of_Israel_(bordered). ... Rishon Le Zion in 2002 Rishon LeZion, or Rishon LeZiyyon (ראשון לציון) is a city in Israel, on the central coastal strip, in the Center District of Israel, just south of Tel Aviv, and part of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area (Gush...

Notes

1. ^ CSA 2005 National Statistics, Table B.4
2. ^ Richard R.K. Pankhurst, History of Ethiopian Towns: From the Middle Ages to the Early Nineteenth Century (Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner Verlag, 1982), p. 117.
3. ^ Pankhurst, History of Ethiopian Towns, p. 128.
4. ^ Pankhurst, History of Ethiopian Towns, p. 128.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Gondar

• Ethiopian Treasures - Fasilados Castle, Felasha Village - Gonder
• Gondarlink charity

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