There are two draw cards for Gondar: one is as a base to organize trekking expeditions into the Simien mountains (which we have done previously and which are quite spectacular). The other and much easier to organize is a visit to the castles of the Royal Enclosure, located in the center of town. Before we take a lazy stroll through the African Camelot, though (and who knew there were castles in Africa. Well, OK, we did because we have been here before. But prior to that visit we had no idea) the idiosyncrasies of the Queen Taitu hotel (smelly bathroom, no hot water, alternating TV stations) proved to be, well, too idiosyncratic for us. So we move to a hotel aimed at backpackers that has just opened and recommended by Explore Abyssinia Travel yesterday. It seems to me that Ethiopia is changing fast. It is becoming more of a destination so if you want to see this pristine country go now before it’s too late. Enough proselytizing – alright just a bit more – Ethiopia is our favorite country in Africa (There, we’ve said – now on with the story). Our new hotel, the recently opened Lodge du Chateau, is run by Sayoum – who just happens to own Explore Abyssinia Travel (a sneaky piece of self-promotion that). In fact I think this hotel is so new that we are among its first guests! Anyway, he has the latest copy of the Lonely Planet Guide to Ethiopia, which he lends us. We pour over the latest information with relish as we eat an early lunch at the Golden Gate Asian restaurant. The restaurant even has a large photo of the Golden Gate Bridge as its center piece. Sad to say the food is terrible, but then why on earth are we eating Asian food in Ethiopia when Ethiopian food is so tasty and so unique.
Christi and I finally make it to the Royal Enclosure in the early afternoon and again we have the place virtually to ourselves (I love this). Six lofty and somewhat incongruous castles were built here between the mid 17th and mid 18th centuries to house successive emperors of Ethiopia. In addition to the castles there is a royal archive, a sauna, several lion cages, and stables. Undoubtedly the best preserved building is the castle of the Emperor Fasiladas who was the first to build a castle on this site. Constructed from rough-hewn brown basalt stone, the castle stands two storeys high, has a crenellated parapet, and four small, domed towers at the corners.
Some of the other buildings are now in ruins due in part to British bombing raids during WWII when the Italian army used the Royal Enclosure as its base. The African Camelot is, not surprisingly, a UNESCO world heritage site, although quite why the emperors decided to build European castles in the newly established capital of Gondar remains a mystery. Prior to the establishment of Gondar as its capital, the emperors of Ethiopia were nomadic rulers living in tents!
Blog post by Roderick Phillips, author of Weary Heart – a gut-wrenching tale of love and test tubes.
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