Gondar - Camelot of Africa
Published: Medieval History
Gondar, located in the northern Amhara region, was the capital of the Ethiopian Empire from 1636 to 1855 under Emperor Fasilides and his successors. It is famous for Fasil Ghebbi (the Royal Enclosure), a walled fortress containing stone castles, banqueting halls, libraries, and churches.
The architecture is a unique blend of Abyssinian, Portuguese, and Indian influences, earning Gondar the nickname 'The Camelot of Africa'.
Nearby, the Debre Birhan Selassie church is famous for its ceiling covered in beautiful paintings of hundreds of winged cherub angels, representing one of the finest examples of Ethiopian religious art.