Gondar

A city of castles
th
17 & 18 th centuries
 Out line
• Background and Influences
• Gondar Architecture
• City Character of Gondar
• The Fasil Ghebbi and the Gates
• References
 Background and influences
th
16 century Ethiopia
• Ahmed Gragn made devastating invasions in 1527-1543

• With the help of Portuguese the Christian has defeated the Muslim
Forces Relative peace after the death of Ahmed Gragn in 1543

• After the rise of Ahmed Gragn Ethiopia was isolated from the rest of
the world for about 100 years
 16th century Ethiopia
• Though there were some royal towns before Gondar they didn’t live long as
a permanent seat.

• Debre Berhan , Gorgora, Gomange, Guzara and Gannata Iyasus; are some of
the earlier royal towns.

• From site to site, they follow the same general architectural pattern:
Quadrangular castles
Stone and mortar
Adjacent cisterns
Roughly circular walled compounds
Cylindrical towers
Egg-shaped tops
Influences
• Portuguese soldiers could also assist in constructions.

They introduce some new methods

• They thought the arts of burning lime
• Preparing good mortar
• Construction true masonry arches
 GONDAR
ARCHITECTURE
 Gondar Period
The Gondar period was known by several important developments
such as :
• Building Technology
• Architecture
• Arts and crafts
• Traditional education
• Trade and Urbanization
In this regard the Gondarine castles in the royal enclosure belonged
to the out sanding achievements of the period.
 Gondarian style
Characteristics
• Its many medieval castles
• It is much more local in character
• No important architectural difference between the
first structures and the late ones
• Design is often non-symmetrical

Battlements
• mostly for decoration and visual expression of
power
• open parts wider than protecting parts; unlike most
battlements in Europe
 Gondarian style
Characteristics
Arches
• Arches in Gondar architecture are semicircular or
sometimes lower
• They often stand out visually by being of a different
• There were different types of arches
1.The simplest case
2. The normal arch
3. A more elaborated arch
 Gondarian style
Characteristics
Arches
 Gondarian style
Early structures (late 16th century)
The palace at Guzara
Belongs to king Sertse Dingil

Constructed around 1570

A two storey rectangular building with two round corner

towers topped with domes

It has a battlement parapet wall at roof level

Stone and mortar were used for the masonry wall, and
curved stone employed for the construction of arched
windows and doors.
Similar structure
in south Arabia
 Gondarian style
Early structures (Early 17th century)
Martula Maryam
Located in the Gojam district of Mota

Stand the tall ruins of the ancient

rectangular church dating from the
time of King Susneyos

Indo-Portuguese decorative art

The bas-reliefs and other stone

decoration in the altar area and around
the windows and chapel doors are of
Western Catholic origin.
 Gondarian style
Early structures (Early 17th century)
Gorgora palace
Situated on a small peninsula on the
northern side of Lake Tana (Dambya)

Between 1611 and 1618, Gorgora

became the royal camp of King Susneyos
Gondar
The Camelot of Africa
• Gondar is a mountain city located on a plateau. It was founded around 1635 by Emperor
Fasiladas (served as a political center for more than 200 years) and grew as an agricultural
and market town
• The third permanent capital city of Ethiopia and interrupt the prolonged tradition of
mobile court
• It is centered on a complex of castles (Fasil Ghebbi) and UNESCO world heritage site, in 26
October 1979, mainly because of this castle compound
After the restoration of peace and establishment of trade routes, Gondar emerged as the
new capital of Christian Ethiopian kingdom
Existence of commerce and craftsmanship creates employment for the urban population
Its inhabitants engaged in different occupations
- merchants
- craftsmen(mostly builders)
- clergy
- servants
- palace guards and
- farmers
During the climax ,seventeenth century, the city's population is estimated to have exceeded
60,000 and composed of different religious, culture and foreign communities
(Armenian, Indian and Persian) and a large number of Felashes/Bete Israel/Black Jews
largely engaged in masonry, pottery, basketry, metal work and other similar activities.
The Fasil Ghebbi
 The Fasil Ghebbi
• Fasil Ghebbi was founded by
emperor Fasiladas

• built during the 17th and 18th

centuries (Approximately 1640-
1750), when the city was the
imperial capital of Ethiopia

• It is a unique architectural blend of

Aksumite traditions and influences
from India , Portugal and Arabia
 The Fasil Ghebbi
The use of raised platforms and bridges indicate that the royal family preferred to be
segregated from the ordinary inhabitants of Gondar.

Every monarch after Fasiladas who built a structure followed a strict northward sequence.

The last Palace in the compound was built by Iyasu II.

The Palace of Fasiladas
 The Palace of Fasiladas
One of the possible models for his palace is the castle
at Guzara

It is the largest, oldest and the most impressive of all

the castles.
It was an imposing structure of two storeyed, the
height of the building being about 32m

The walls at ground level are more than a meter thick,

Built of basaltic rubble

It took about 6,000 cubic m. of stone, sand and

limestone for the walls, and large number of timber for
the beams, floor planks, window and doors

Fasiladas employed Portuguese, Indian, and possibly

Turkish, craftsmen brought to Gondar for the purpose
 The Palace of Fasiladas
The main entrance stairway rises to the Arched window and door openings were
1st floor on a north –south axis, and has built of reddish volcanic tuff, which was
a storage space under it. curved and brought from a quarry around
Qusquam.
 The Palace of Fasiladas
• The larges square tower on the
roof provides a good view of the
enclosure and the surrounding
area all the way to Late Tana.
• The four circular doomed towers
at each corner of the castle were
also used as prayer rooms for the
Emperor.
• Inside, there are more than 20
rooms with elaborate archways.
• The Bathing palace of Emperor
Fasilidas, which is used for the
annual Timiket or Epiphany
celebrity

• Located at about 2 Km north

west of the palace compound

• It is a two-story square building

surrounded by a rectangular
neatly walled depression
 The Palace of Iyasu I
His palace is known as the saddle-
shaped castle, for the shape of its
roof supported by arches.

It is rectangular two-stories
building built by Iyasu the great

It has two corner towers, one

square and the other round

It is very impressive because of its

high doomed roof and a stone,
spiral staircase.
 The Palace of Yohanes
A very small and two-storied humble
structure

Not too much decorated

He has also built a library and commonly

known as the ‘ library of Yohannes„
 The Palace of Dawit III
The palace is famous for its large
internal dancing hall locally
known as the “ house of song”
It is rectangular in shape
Many Ceremonies is said to have
been conducted in this hall
 The Palace of Bekafa
• It is long V-shaped storied castle, located at the extreme north of the compound to the
left side.
• Known of the space to keep horses of noble people, located next to the palace
creating a long courtyard
• It has two long towers, one of them was served as a banquet and reception hall.
 The Palace of Mintwab
• It is two-storied castle decorated with carvings of crosses.
• Emperor Mintwab(wife of Emperor Bakaffa and mother of Iyasus II) built it.

• The Qusquam church

Its construction is attributed to Queen Mintwab.
 The Gates
The are 12 imperial compound gates and represent the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ.
1.Jann Tekel Ber-Imperial Gate
2.Wember Ber- Gate of the Judges
3.Teskar Ber- Funeral Commemorations
4.Azash Tukure Ber- secret Gate of Azash Tikur
5.Adenager Ber (Kob Astel)- Gate of the spinners
6.Quali Ber
7.Imbilta Ber(Balderas Ber)- Gate of the flute player
8.Elfign Ber- Gate of private chamber
9.Ras Ber (Kwarenyoch Ber)- of high persons
10.Kechin Ashewa Ber (erigib Ber)- of priests
11.Inqoye Ber
12.Gimja Ber
Note: It is also important to note that Gondar is said to have been the home of the
forty-four Tabots (Replicas of the Ark of Covevant).
 The Palace of Mikael Sehul
The Gondar period was ceased by the Era of Princes (Zemene Mesafint)