Located in Ethiopia’s Gondar Region, Fasil Ghebbi is a massive fortress city that was ruled by the Ethiopian emperor Fasilides and those that replaced him. The city was established as a permanent capital in 1636 and was extremely important until its slow decline at the end of the 1700s, though it served as the center of the Ethiopian government until 1864. The wall that surrounds it is 900 meters long, which gave impressive views to anybody that approached. Inside, there are over twenty palaces, churches, monasteries and buildings, including the massive Fasilides Palace (often called Gondar Castle). The entire area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the organization has done quite a bit of restoration to many of the buildings. The size and scope make it one of the largest historical sites in all of Africa. Here is a captivating photo essay through the fortress city of Fasil Ghebbi, Ethiopia.
Fasilides Castle (Shutterstock)
Outside the walls of Fasilides Castle (notice the Ethiopian flag flying on top)
Courtesy of SarahTz / flickr
An woman looks out over the walls
Courtesy of Martijn Munneke / flickr
A great capture from inside the grounds
Shutterstock
The approach to the Fasilides bath
Shutterstock
The streets on the outside of the grounds shows more of the daily life in Gondar
Courtesy of Matt Saunders / flickr
A view of the wall and hillsides at sunset
Shutterstock
An inside view of the Fasilides Baths
Courtesy of SarahTz / flickr
Taking a walk through the inside
Courtesy of Jenn Dyer / flickr
One of the medieval domes
Shutterstock
You can tell the roots around the baths have been there for a long time
Courtesy of A. Davey / flickr
Nobody lives inside anymore except these pigeons
Shutterstock
