The Ethiopian Orthodox Easter is celebrated at a different date from the western churches and this year was celebrated from 30th April (known as Sek’elet) to Easter Sunday on the 2nd May (known as Fasika). Christmas is celebrated on the 7th January.
Ethiopian calendar, and also the time of day, different form the western standard. For instance the Ethiopian day starts at 6am. Western time, so that Ethiopia traditionally is 6 hours behind wesern time.
Ursula and I decided that we would take a long weekend over the Ethiopian easter and travel to Gondar and then hike in the Simien mountains. After a bit of worry over the security situation security clearance was given and we flew to Gondar on Good Friday – April 30th.
This trip was through some of the most beautiful and spectacular scenery we have experienced in Ethiopia, and so, much of this blog will be photographic - even more so than usual.
Gondar was established as a city and as the capital of the Ethiopian Empire in 1635 by the emperor Fasilidas, and remained the capital until 1855.
After we arrived, we checked into our hotel, the Goha, before embarking on an afternoon tour of the surviving royal castles of Gondar.
1. Palace Enclosure: The palaces are set in a walled enclosure. We had a good view of the compound from our hotel on a hill overlooking the city.
We were really impressed by what we saw. We had no idea that such impressive buildings were still standing.
2. The castle of Emperor Fasiledes who ruled from 1632 to 1667 and was the founder of the city of Gondar as the capital of the empire.
The Ethiopia Empire was a powerful force in the region and Emperor Fasiledes expelled the Jesuits from Ethiopia, as a result of conflicts between the Jesuits and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The Jesuits had been attempting to convert Ethiopians to Catholicism. The emperor then established diplomatic and commercial links with middle eastern states.
3. Castle of Emperor Iyassu the Great, 1682 – 1706.
During the Italian occupation of Ethiopia, the Italian army established a military base inside the Royal Enclosure. When WW 2 broke out the British attacked the Italians in Ethiopia, the base was bombed, and considerable damage was done to some of the buildings. Some of the damage has been repaired, but not all.
4. The castle of Iyassu the Great from the inside, the vaulted roof destroyed in the fighting.
In 1630 the emperor died and his son, who was only 9 years old, came to the throne. Because of his age his mother, the Queen de facto, ruled for some years.
5: The castle of Iyassu the 2nd , 1730 – 1755, and his mother queen Itegie Miniwab, undergoing some repair work.
We had a really knowledgeable guide who led us through the Royal Enclosure. He had a detailed knowledge of the history of Gondar and the royal palaces. Without him our visit would have been much the poorer.
6: Our guide and Ursula in the what remains of Fasilidas archive where important documents of the empire were kept. The stonework is still in good condition but the wooden floors and manuscripts are long gone.
7: A castle for which I have no historical information, my fault, not the guides. My note taking seems to have expired around this time.
The first Emperor, Fasiledes built the Royal Bathing Pool several kilometres away from the palaces. Today it is an important site during Epiphany when the pool is filled from a nearby stream, and pilgrims come from all over Ethiopia on January 19th to renew their baptisms in celebration of the baptism of Jesus in the river Jordan.
8: The Royal Bathing Pool. The building in the centre was where the emperors would entertain their guests.
Water from the filled pool is blessed by the priests before it is sprinkled over some of the pilgrims while others immerse themselves in the water. After epiphany the pool is emptied and kept empty for the rest of the year. If the pool was full the water would be nearly 2 metres deep, the level can be made out on the walls.
9. The walkway. Access to the pool for the Emperor and his retinue was across a narrow walkway which would have been easily defended if need be.
10: The pool is completely surrounded by fig trees, their roots forming intricate patterns over the walls. (Sorry if I look a bit gormless, I think I was watching an Oriole).1
After the Royal Bathing Pool we visited the Debire Birhan Selassie Church built by Emperor Eyasu the 2nd. It has suffered fire and destruction in the past, but has always been rebuilt. When we were there pilgrims were gathering for the Easter celebrations.
11: Debire Birhan Selassie Church, severely damaged by the Sudanese in the 19th century and restored in the 1880s.
On the top of the church you can make out the Gondar cross. Every region seems to have its own interpretation of the cross and here the cross is seven pointed, I think symbolizing the days of the week. Other areas have 12 points, traditional four points and probably various other interpretations as well.
12. The men and women congregants are separated on either side of the church. These are some of the women on “their” side of the church.
After a hard day’s sightseeing we returned to our hotel and enjoyed a cold beer while watching the sunset over Gondar.
14: Sunset over Gondar.
The next morning we were up and ready to go. The hotel, the Goha, was a lovely hotel, and even the budget rooms we had were well up to standard.
From the glass fronted dining room or the open deck there was a really good view over Gondar and being high up there was a constant stream of raptors and other birds riding the winds on the cliff face.
15: The Goha hotel: At sunrise and before breakfast.
And so, after this all too brief stop in Gondar, on to the Simien mountains, in Part 2, to follow.