Origins , founded by Emperor
Fasilides 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.
17th century 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 Fasilides' death in 1667, Gondar was so well established that his successor
Yohannes I (1667-82) made no attempt to seek out a new capital for himself like the former monarchs. On the contrary, he spent much more time in Gondar then his father had done. Though, he left every year on expeditions before returning to his capital, but spent half the year inside the city. In 1669-70, the Emperor ordered Muslims and Jews to separate from Christians and form their own sectors in Gondar. By 1676, this decree resulted in Muslims settling in the lower town near the Qaha, in a quarter called Eslam Bet or Eslamge. The
Beta Israel were assigned four quarters, including Abarra and Kayla Meda, near the Qaha. Key areas in the city included the royal enclosure (Makkabäbiya or
Fail Gémb), Addebabay (a public square and market), Abun Bet (home of the abun), Eccäge Bet (residence of the -éccäge and a refuge), Qañn Bet (noble quarters), and Déngay (inhabited by Christian merchants). Yohannes died in July 1682, he "lived for ten days in a great new building" constructed that very year. According to the chronicles, this edifice, which was ornamented in ivory, was built by an Ethiopian architect named Walda Giyorgis who was described as "able, intelligent, and of good renown." Yohannes's successor,
Iyasu I (1682-1706), seems to have been very conscious to maintain the good will of the citizens of Gondar and it was reported that he never closed the doors of his palace, even at night, to give his subjects the impression that he trusted them. Iyasu's reign, like that of his father and grandfather, witnessed considerable building in the city. The Emperor was responsible for the erection of a new castle, and several other churches. The castle of Iyasu, which was reportedly erected by Walda Giyorgis, was described as "more beautiful then the house of Solomon." When Iyasu saw it he is said to have been "full of joy and happiness". During the reign of Iyasu I, the city's population was estimated to have exceeded 60,000.
18th century Gondar prospered until the reign of
Tekle Giyorgis (r. 1779–1784), appropriately nicknamed Fäsame Mängest ("the End of Government"). This period was characterized by glorious personalities of Emperors such as
Iyasu I,
Bakaffa,
Mentewab, and
Dawit III. All castles and churches were highly centralized for royal nobilities. The French
Charles Poncet, who has served as physician of Iyasu, offers wrote extensively about the town at the end of seventeenth century. His journey was important for it gave the outside world some information about the country during the period of its isolation, when the great city of Gondar was built. Poncet was the first European observer to describe the city, the existence of which was doubted in European circles where it was generally thought that Ethiopia still possessed no fixed capital. His third palace, Iyasu Palace also known as "Saddle on Horseback" resembles a saddle—to highlight the emperor's horsemanship. As a veteran of eleven battles and tax collector, Iyasu decorated his castle with ivory, mirrors, cedar, and a ceiling covered in gold leaf and precious stones. After the death of Iyasu I death in 1706, Gondar became to decline because of most emperors preferred to enjoy luxurious life rather than spending in politics.
Tigray acquired major importance after the establishment of a permanent capital at Gondar due its vicinity to the sea coast. As the traveler
James Bruce noted, it was located where "every body must go in their way from Gondar to the
Red Sea", the person who controlled this province could levy profitable tolls on the caravans which passed through. This development led to the ascension of major Tigrayan warlord Ras
Mikael Sehul. However, the power was presided to Mentewab and the Amhara lords, where several members belonged to her family. They defended that the Empress should enthroned as Regent for her grandson as she had been for her son a decade and half earlier. Mentewab brought her brother Ras Wolde Leul to Gondar and made him Ras Bitwaded. After the death of
Iyasu II on 27 June 1755, Ras Mikael Sehul, who was on the way with guns, carpets, gold, silver and other tribute from Tigre, learnt the news two days later, when they arrived at Sembera Zagan in Wagara. Without any delay, he proceeded to the capital and arriving the next day, he saw Iyasu II's son
Iyoas I, who was a child at the time of his reign. In May 1767, Ras Mikael Sehul killed Iyoas and crowned 70 years old
Yohannes II as, the Empire thus entered a period of supreme difficulty when its authority declined during the
Zemene Mesafint. Upon his arrival in 1770, Wolda Hawariat claimed that Gondar had an epidemic of smallpox, where the chief comes to he capital with "ill of fever". In 1831, tensions escalated when the relatives of
Ali II, the ruler of
Begemder, caused further unrest in Gondar, prompting the Emperor and Ečagē to withdraw from the capital. A few years later, in 1832–1833, Ali's soldiers continued their plundering campaign, raiding homes and seizing supplies, which exacerbated the city's already fragile state. The situation became so dire that civilians were forced to hide their goods in churches for protection. These disturbances had a devastating impact on the economy and cultural life of Gondar. Merchants were unable to bring goods into the city due to the constant threat of theft, and intellectual activities suffered, as scholars lamented the collapse of educational institutions. In 1833, when Emperor
Sahle Dengel attempted to reduce the power of the church by curbing its land holdings, priests and citizens protested, further destabilizing the region. In 1854,
Kassa Hailu took control of the town and called upon its nobles, citizens and clergy to accept his candidacy to the throne. The city assembly proclaimed him King of Kings, many cattle were slaughtered for the occasion and the Emperor gave alms generously to the poor. Tewodros, found it necessary to fight against local rulers and their followers in other areas, and was not attracted to Gondar which moreover seemed to him a symbol of Ethiopia's decadence. In 1864, Tewodros ordered the Muslim inhabitants of the city to convert to Christianity or leave, forcing many of them to flee the country. Relations between Tewodros and Gondar continued to deteriorate because of their suspected complicity in rebellion and the bitter disputes the Emperor had with the clergy. By the end of 1864, Tewodros declared Gondar to be a "town of priests who do not love me" and ordered the city to be violently sacked. His soldiers robbed the priests, burned down their residences, and plundered the monasteries in the former capital. Emperor
Yohannes IV spent the first part of his reign in
Debre Tabor as Tewodros had done before him. The disappearance of the Emperor and his court led to a large demographic reduction in the city, Gondar's population, well over 60,000 in the 18th century, was said by some observers to have dwindled to only 8,000 in the 1870s. In the late 1880s, Gondar suffered serious blows as a result of fighting with the
Mahdist Sudanese. The Ethiopian historian Blatengeta Heruy Wald Selassie, relates that the Mahdists entered the city in January 1888 "and burnt all the churches. Those who were brave were slaughtered on the spot, while the cowardly fled. The remainder, women and children were made prisoners and taken into slavery." In June of the following year the Mahdists again marched into Gondar and, "massacred the great and the humble, the men and women whom they found." As a result, Gondar towards the end of the century was thus little more than a ghost town abandoned in ruins.
20th century In early 1900s, peace and stability resulted in some revival in Gondar's fortunes. Gondar was favorably situated between
Sudan to the west,
Addis Ababa to the south, and
Eritrea to the north and hence enjoyed a sizeable amount of commerce. This commerce primarily involved a variety of goods from the surrounding regions. These included salt from the Afar lowlands, brought to Gondar via
Sekota; agricultural products from the
Amhara and
Agaw areas; livestock such as cattle, mules, and goats from
Begemder; honey and wax from
Semien and
Wegera; cotton from
Walqayt; ivory and gold from
Bani Shangul; coffee and civet from
Kaffa; and various locally made handicrafts. There were Italian representatives residing in Gondar; a merchant named Caremelli imported Italian cotton goods and distributed them in Gondar, and an Italian medical doctor gave free medical service to patients in Gondar. During the
Second Italo-Ethiopian War, the East African Fast Column (Colonna Celere dell'Africa Orientale) of General
Achille Starace, composed of some 3,000 troops on more than 400 vehicles, entered Ethiopia from
Omhajer, and after a difficult 380 km march, occupied Gondar without a fight on 1 April 1936. Within two years, 2,000 Europeans moved into the city. Local inhabitants were segregated into districts west and south of the castle enclosure, Italians settling in northern and north-eastern areas. New commercial and government buildings were erected north-east of the castles and a retail district, known henceforth as the "piazza", was laid out adjacent to the castle compound, all in 1930s "modernist" architecture. A central artery linked the Italian quarters, piazza, Ethiopian merchant quarter, and Saturday market. Another new road ran west of the Fasil "bath" and on to Azezo, where a landing-strip provided an air service with
Asmara. Other new roads connected the city with Gojjam and with Eritrea, the latter a paved, all-season roadway. Colonial authorities, seeking to curry favor with local Muslims, built a mosque (for the first time with minaret) beside the Saturday market, authorized the appointment of a gadi for matters involving the Sara and permitted Muslims to settle outside Addis Alem. On 13–17 November 1941, the British and Italian military
fought in Gondar during the
East African Campaign of
World War II, marking the withdrawal of Italian force from
Italian East Africa. In 1944, attempt to introduce land taxes following the Italian evacuation of the area met with military opposition in Gondar and Tigray. In February 1989, the
Soviet Union refused to ship more arms to Ethiopia, which resulted in a series of defeats and made the government evacuate from Tigray Province. The
Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) then assembled the
Ethiopian People's Democratic Movement (EPDM) which formed the
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) and their force advanced to Gondar and Wollo Province. Shortly, They cut Addis Ababa–Gondar road and put Gojjam at risk. On 23 February 1991, the EPRDF launched military offensive codenamed "Operation Tewodros" against government in Gondar. In May 1991, Gondar was occupied by EPRDF forces concurrently with Wollo, Tigray and Gojjam.
21st century As a result of the
War in Amhara that began in 2023, Gondar has seen a surge in violent crimes, including robbery, kidnapping, and murder. On 17 September, Fano launched a large-scale offensive against Gondar, one of the largest cities in the Amhara region. After heavy fighting, Fano claimed to have killed over 100
ENDF soldiers and captured 40. The clashes resulted in the deaths of at least nine people and injuries to more than 30 others. ==Cityscape==