Surrounded by a nearly 3,000-foot wall, Fasil Ghebbi was a fortress-city in the 16th and 17th centuries containing palaces, castles, a library, and churches.
The Ethiopian emperor Fasilides lived there, and it remained the center of the Ethiopian government until 1864, according to UNESCO.
Also known as the Royal Enclosure, Fasil Ghebbi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It was built by Emperor Fasiladas who, after growing bored with the migratory semi-nomadic lifestyle of his predecessors, decided to make a statement by building a grandiose palace complex – one of the most magnificent structures of its time.
Gonder was the capital of Ethiopia from 1632 to 1855, and it has the remains of castles and palaces constructed by a series of emperors from Fasilides (reigned 1632–67) to Iyasu II (1730–55).
The city was damaged due to mishandled conservation efforts between 1930 and 1936, but UNESCO began repairs and proper conservation work in the 1990s, which is ongoing.
