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Referred to by some as "The Camelot of Africa", Gondar is singularly famous for the many castles and other imperial structures built by Fasiladas (1632-1667) and several of his successors.

The main palace of Emperor Fasiladas

The library of Fasiladas

A nearby chancellery

The Camelot of Africa: Gondar

Church of Debra Birhan Selassie

A house bombed by British army

On the way to Sauna

The oldest and, perhaps, the most impressive of the castles is the two-storied palace of Emperor Fasiladas himself. The palace is built of roughly hewn, brown basalt stones held together with mortar. The architect is said to be an Indian. The building has a flat roof, a rectangular tower in one corner, from which Lake Tana can be seen in the distance, four smaller domed towers and a battlemented parapet.

Other buildings in this huge imperial quarter of Gondar include:

• the library of Fasiladas's son Emperor Yohannes I (1667-1682)
• a nearby chancellery
• the saddle-shaped castle of Yohnnes's son, Emperor Iyasu I (1682-1706)
• the large hall or "house of song" of Emperor Dawit III (1716-1721), in which many ceremonies took place in former days
• the long V-shaped reception and banqueting hall of Empeor Bakaffa (1722-1730) and
• the two-storied palace of Empress Mentewab, the consort of Emperor Bakaffa.

The palace compound is also the site of the grave of Walter Plowden, a traveler to Ethiopia and a close friend of Emperor Tewodros II and a sometime British consul.

Other attractions

Visitors should visit, the palace of Ras Mika'el Se'ul, the famous kingmaker during the decline of the monarchy in the eighteenth century. The palace is modeled on the castle of Fasiladas. The other one is the house of the Itchege, a round structure once occupied by the Itchege, the second most powerful official of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

There are also other Gondarine structures outside of the town, the most impressive of which is the well-preserved "bathing palace", located in the Qaha River valley south of Gondar. This structure is variously attributed to Fasiladas or Iyasu I. The structure stands in a rectangular, neatly walled depression, which is filled with water once a year for the Timqet (Epiphany) celebrations. Not far away is a small pavilion said to be the mausoleum of a horse named Zobel, belonging to Fasilada, Iyasu, or some other Gondarine monarch of former times.

Churches in Gondar

Also of interest is Qusquam, a church housing many fine old Gondarine manuscripts and a crypt containing the skeletal remains of the Empress Mentewab, her son Emperor Iyasu II and her grandson, Emperor Iyoas.

Other churches include that of Medhane Alem (the Church of the Savior), built during the reign of Fasiladas; Gemjabet Maryam, Attami Mikael, and Ilfign Giyorgis, all of which have some paintings. Perhaps the finest and most celebrated of the Gondarine churches is Debre Birhan Selassie (Trinity at the Mount of Light). A small, rectangular structure, what attracts visitors is its ceilings, which are decorated with beautiful winged angels, and its walls, painted with impressive scenes depicting biblical events, including the life of Christ, Mary, and the saints and martyrs. It also houses a pointing of the churchs founder, Emperor Iyasu I.

Finally, a visit to the Gondar market is worth ones while, since it provides many colorful scenes for photographers, alongside a few bargains.