The third largest city in Ethiopia, Gondar is about 748 kilometers north of Addis Ababa and served as the Ethiopian capital from the reign of Fasiladas (1632-1665) until the reign of Emperor Tewodros II (1855-1868) who moved his capital, first to Debre Tabor and, then, to Maqdalla, spelling the decline of the town as the permanent capital that it was envisioned to be.