Gonder

North of Lake Tana, Gondar grew into a splendid royal city where caravans from Sudan and the Red Sea converged. Its palaces and churches rose around the walled royal enclosure of Fasil Ghebbi, while markets and the residences of nobles and churchmen filled the town beyond. Ethiopian traditions met influences from abroad in the architecture and decoration of its court.

In 1636 Emperor Fasilides chose Gondar for his royal camp, establishing a permanent capital after centuries in which Ethiopian rulers had moved their courts frequently. He built a great castle and several churches; his successors continued to enlarge the city. Yohannes I retained Gondar after his father's death and ordered Muslims and Jews to live in separate quarters from Christians. Iyasu I added another castle, renowned for its rich decoration, and churches of his own.

In the eighteenth century the court flourished under rulers including Bakaffa and Empress Mentewab, whose palace was built within the royal compound. Outside the city, a bathing pavilion associated with Fasilides stood in a rectangular pool fed by the Qaha River. Control of the caravan route through Tigray toward the Red Sea brought profitable tolls and political influence, while powerful nobles increasingly contested authority around the throne. The monuments of Gondar remained a striking legacy of the settled capital they had helped create.