Gonder

Sister cities

• Corvallis
• Montgomery County
• Rishon LeZion

History

The term Gondar was first mentioned during the reign of Amda Seyon I as the name of a regiment of soldiers stationed (likely in Wegera) to guard nearby trade routes and control a restive population. In 1636, Emperor Fasilides selected Gondar as his katama (royal camp). Situated about 35 km due north of Lake Tana in the midst of Kémant country, Fasilides translocation from Danqaz to Gondar contributed to trading benefits as it was where caravans from Sudan and the Red Sea converged, despite Lent and rainy season prohibiting expeditions that made the emperor stay at the capital. Such incidents quickly enabled him to prolong his reign and construct many buildings for the purpose of giving capital and additional reforms. Within the capital, Fasilides ordered the construction of the imposing edifice known as the Fasil Ghebbi or Fasilides Castle. Further, he established five other churches, including Mädòane Aläm and Fit Abbo. The pleasure-pool with stone pavilion beside the Qaha river known as the "Bath of Fasilides". In 1648, a Yemeni ambassador, Hassan ibn Ahmad al-Haymi, who visited the palace described it as a great house of stone and lime and "one of marvelous of buildings, worthy of admiration, and the most beautiful of outstanding wonders." The head stonemason was an Indian named Abdal Kerim who had previously worked on the palace of Emperor Susenyos I in Danqaz. In the newly built castle Al-Haymi saw beds from Constantinople, mattresses from India glittering with gold, sofas inlaid with pieces of jewelry and gems. His eye was also struck by the attire of the courtiers: gowns of silk brocade embroidered with gold, silk gowns, golden girdles "set with marvelous stones and precious gems", swords from Sennar inlaid with the choicest pure gold. By the time of…

Most-observed species

• Hooded Vulture

  Necrosyrtes monachus (Temminck, 1823) · Aves
  8
• Black Kite

  Milvus migrans (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  8
• Speckled Pigeon

  Columba guinea Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  8
• Pied Crow

  Corvus albus Statius Muller, 1776 · Aves
  7
• Red-eyed Dove

  Streptopelia semitorquata (Rüppell, 1837) · Aves
  7
• Brown-rumped Seedeater

  Crithagra tristriata (Rüppell, 1840) · Aves
  7
• Northern Fiscal

  Lanius humeralis Stanley, 1814 · Aves
  7
• Red-cheeked Cordonbleu

  Uraeginthus bengalus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  6