Gondar: Ethiopia's Camelot of Castles in the 17th Century

In the 1630s, Emperor Fasilides turned his back on the old capitals and built a new city from scratch: Gondar. Over the next two centuries, this walled compound of castles, churches, and palaces became the seat of Ethiopian power, a place where architecture fused Aksumite, Indian, and Portuguese influences into something entirely its own. This episode walks through the founding of Gondar, the engineering of its famous Fasil Ghebbi, the royal baths, and the unique role of women like Empress Mentewab who wielded real political influence. We also explore the city's decline during the Zemene Mesafint, the era of the princes, when Gondar's castles stood empty as warlords tore the empire apart. No rehash of Lalibela or Aksum — this is the story of Ethiopia's imperial city of the later Solomonic dynasty. #History #FexingoHistory #Ethiopia #Gondar #Fasilides #FasilGhebbi #Mentewab #SolomonicDynasty #ZemeneMesafint #KebraNägäst #GondarinePeriod #EthiopianArchitecture #JesuitExpulsion #DebreBerhan #AddisAlem #EastAfrica #17thCentury #AfricanHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo