GONDER ARCHITECTUREPRESENTED BY:

• YOHANNES GOYTOM

HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE (ETHIOPIAN)

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE & URBAN PLANNING

BACKGROUND

• Gonder is found in the Northern Part of Ethiopia.

• Most of the settlers were an Orthodox religion followers which has reflected on the structures built at that period.

• Gonder was the capital city of Abyssinia; the present country Ethiopia.

Fig: CURRENT MAP of ETHIOPIA

Location of Gonder City

Contd.

• The city is naturally defensible because of its natural flat-mountains and rugged terrains.

• The civilization of Gonder City has begun in the 16th and 17th centuries when the Portuguese soldiers had come to Ethiopia to aid in fights against Adal.

Fig: TOPOGRAPHICAL PHOTO of the CITY

Contd.• The City was the principal cultural

center and major market place for trade.

• The rulers used to move their royal camps from place to place till they settle under the rule of Atse Fasiladas and built the current city Gonder in 1636.

Fig: AGRICULTURE

Fig: SETTLEMENT in the CITY

• There were almost 44 decorated churches built at that period but most of them were ruined now.

FASIL GHIBI• It’s a fortress-city of Emperor Fasil,

constructed in 1636.

• The wall has an approximately 900m long and almost 77,000m2 area.

• The premises consists Palaces, Churches, Monasteries and unique Public and private buildings.Fig: THE PREMISES OF THE ROYAL FAMILY

(FASIL GHIBI) • The site was selected by the king for a reason of Defensive, free from malaria disease, and good climate condition.

Contd.

12

3

6

4

5 7 8 910

1. PALACE OF FASIL2. BATH OR FASILADAS3. PALACE OF IYASU4. SMALL PALACE OF FASIL5. GIMJABET MARIAM CHURCH6. LIBRARY OF TSADIK YOHANNES7. HOUSE OF SONG DAWIT8. PALACE OF BAKAFFA9. PALACE OF EMPRESS MENTIWAB10. ATAMI QIDUS MICHAEL CHURCH

Contd.

123

4 5 67

8

9

1112 10 FASIL GHIBI HAS 12 GATES WHICH SYMBOLIZES THE NUMBER OF JESUS DESCIPLES.

1. FIT BER, JAN TEKEL BER (IMPERIAL GATE)2. WEMBER BER (GATE OF THE JUDGES)3. TESKARO BER (FUNERAL COMMEMORATORS)4. AZOSH TUKURE BER5. ADENAGER BER (GATE OF SPINNERS)6. QWALI BER (GATE OF QUEEN’S ATTENDANT)7. IMBILTA BER (GATE OF FLUTE PLAYERS)8. ELFIGN BER (GATE OF PRIVATE CHAMBER)9. RAS BER (GATE OF HIGH PERSONS)10. KECHIN ASHEWA BER 11. INQOYE BER (GATE OF PRINCES INQOYE)12. GIMJA (BETE MARYAM) BER

FASILADAS’S CASTLE

• Two Storey palaces built on a 25x25m area with a height of 32m from ground.

• The palace have four dome shaped towers made of roughly hewn stones.

• It was designed and constructed by Indian Architect.

Fig: CASTLE of FASILADAS

Contd.• The floors were finished with a

dressed stone.

• There is a star of David signs above the doors, which shows the king’s link with the solomonid dynasty.

• The palace have a narrow rectangular and a square punched openings.

• It also have a cantilevered balconies made of wood.

FASILADAS’S BATH

• Situated in a rectangular water pool.

• The bathing pavilion stands on pier arches and have different rooms reached by stone bridge.

• It’s a two storey battlemented structure.

Fig: BATH of FASILADAS

Contd.• Water was supplied by a canal

from Qaha river.

• It also have a sauna bath which the emperor and his family used on a very regular basis because a rare skin disorder which has an underground passage way through the castle.

Fig: SAUNA BATH AREA

• Cloth Hangers were out of Rhino horns.

IYASU’S PALACE• His castle was described at the

time as better than the House of Solomon.

• Its inner walls were decorated with ivory, mirrors and paintings of palm trees and its ceiling was covered with gold-leaf and precious stones.

• Have unusual vaulted (arch) ceiling.Fig: CASTLE of IYASU

Contd.

Fig: ARCH VAULT AND RUINED PALACE OF IYASU

DIFFERENT CASTLES and OTHER FUNCTIONALSTRUCTURES IN FASIL GHIBI

Fig: TSADIQ YOHANNES LIBRARY (NEXT TO FASILADAS PALACE)

Continued

Fig: DAWIT’S HALL (HOUSE OF SONG)

• A one storey building with a round tower at the southeast corner.

Continued

Fig: EMPEROR BAKAFFA’S CASTLE)

Continued

Fig: EMPRESS MENTEWAB’S CASTLE)

Fig: LIONS CAGE (SYMBOLIZES THE KING)

Fig: WATCHING TOWERS

CHURCHES

Fig: DEBRE BIRHAN SILLASIE CHURCH (TRINITY and MOUNTAIN of LIGHT)

Debre Birhan Selassie Church Flanked by high walls on raised platform, the interior is interesting with harmony of brightly colored ceiling paintings of (angels) religious history

Fig: ROOFING STRUCTURE AND CEILING DETAIL

Fig: MURALING ON WALLSFig: CIRCULATION AROUND THE CHURCH

CASTLE OF GUZARA

• Located at 5Km south of the small town of Emfraz, Not far from the north-eastern shores of Lake Tana.

Fig: CASTLE OF GUZARA

• Built on18 x 12m area.

• Built in the first half of 17th Century.

• Most structures, like palaces, castles, and other churches, were built of alternating layers of stone and mortar roughly cut and curved stones.

• Walls are very thick and very tall stone structure that was built to withstand the attacks.

• Iyasu’s Castle was a masterwork, with decorations with mirrors, ceiling covered in gold leaf and semi-precious stones. With and ivory and paintings of Palm tree the castle was better than the House of Solomon.

• The interior wall and ceiling is interesting with harmony of brightly colored paintings of (angels).

MATERIALS and CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES

CONTINUED

• Building in stone and mortar required technical knowledge, tools and suitable stone for cutting into blocks and for carving out shape.

• They used to use limestone or Egg Shells to prepare mortar.

• Indians, Turks, and Portuguese qualified masons, carpenters and plasterers has exchanged craftsmanship with Ethiopians.

INFLUENCE of the COLONY by ITALY• Ever since the Italian’s conquer of Ethiopia in

1936, the Italians concentrated their building activity north of Fasil Ghibi on two adjacent level areas; (The lower and Higher)

• The lower area served as commercial district consisting Cinema, post offices and alike.

Fig: CINEMA BUILDING

Fig: POST OFFICE BUILDING

• The higher area comprised the governmental district, centered on two monumental buildings for the military authorities, whose towers commanded distant views and marked the center of power in the new Gonder.

Fig: MILITARY COMMAND BUILDING

Fig: COURT BUILDING

CONTINUED