Things to see and do Gondar

The massive edifice designed by the founder of the Gondar dynasty dominates all other buildings. It was the first castle built in 1630, and the centerpiece of the fortified city. Fasiladas was a master builder. In addition to this palace, he built various residential complexes in the region. He also rebuilt and richly endowed the church of Daga Estifanos on Lake Tana, and that of Sainte-Marie-de-Sion, in Aksum.

This square-shaped castle, flanked by four rounded corner towers and an imposing watchtower, is protected by crenellated walls that give it a fortress-like appearance. Built of irregular rubble, the palace displays a combination of Axumite, Portuguese and Indian architectural and decorative influences. The raised first floor, to which a monumental staircase leads, houses a vast reception hall. This is divided by a partition with a fireplace, delimiting the space for men and women. On the wall, a Cross of David reminds us that the emblem was adopted by the Ethiopian imperial dynasty. The first floor opens onto a vast terrace where religious ceremonies were held; the small adjoining room would have been the sovereign's prayer chamber. It was from the small balcony that Emperor Fasiladas addressed his subjects. Higher up, a staircase leads to the royal chamber and a second terrace - which, 32 m above ground, offers a panoramic view of the city - and, further on, to the shores of Lake Tana.

Located in the heart of the city, the 7-hectare fortified royal city has been a Unesco World Heritage site since 1979, and is logically surrounded by ramparts. It includes several castles corresponding to the reigns of different emperors (the palaces of Iyassou ^I, Fasiladas, Bakaffa and Mentewab, as well as the buildings of Yohannes ^I and Dawit). There are few explanations on site; take an accredited guide for this hour-long tour, who will also accompany you to the surrounding sites. In Africa, this is a unique ensemble.

Bacaffa the Merciless was a dark negus of Ethiopia. He built the last palaces in Gondar, including a vast banqueting hall, partly restored after the British bombardment in 1941, and stables. When he fell ill at Lake Tana, he was cared for by Berhan-Mogasa, whom he married and who, once empress, took the name of Mentewab. The future Iyasou II was born of their union. Mentewab's castle, decorated with religious motifs, now serves as a library.

Iyassou the Great is considered the most important ruler of the Gondaran period. Louis XIV's envoy, the physician Charles Poncet, who visited the sovereign, described the splendor of his court. His palace, decorated with ivory, precious stones and rich furnishings, was considered the most sumptuous of all. The building's originality lay in its vaulted ceiling, the arches of which can still be seen. Among the ruins, the domed steam baths have survived.

Located on the outskirts of the walled city, this well-preserved fortified castle features rounded turrets and high crenellated walls. It has been open to the public and converted into a museum since 2017. It is said to have been built in 1650 by a military officer of Emperor Fasilidas, Ras Walda Giyorgis, who made it his home and married the emperor's daughter, Eskenderawit. But the castle is best known for having been the imperial residence of Haile Selassie, who stayed here only five times in twenty-five years, but invited Queen Elizabeth II to visit in 1965. Sadly, the castle met with an unfortunate fate, as it was used as a torture chamber by the "Butcher of Gondar", military officer Melaku Tefera, during the Derg's red terror campaign between 1977 and 1979. Convicted of 971 murders and sentenced to death in 2005, his sentence was converted to life imprisonment in 2011. The castle remained closed until 2017, when it was reopened as a museum with the cooperation of the French Center for Ethiopian Studies.

The museum. The collection on the first floor includes the torture room under the Derg, preserved as a memorial to the many people who died or suffered severe abuse there. The general history of Gondar is also on display. On the second floor: in impeccable period style, the rooms of Emperor Haile Selassie and his wife Menen, with period furniture and objects. Finally, a staircase leads up to the emperor's study, with a single view of the city and the fields. We advise you to take a guide.