In the 17th century, Emperor Fasilides founded the Fasil Ghebbi - the "Royal Enclosure":
a fortress-city within the boundaries of his capital Gondar.
In 1979, the site was recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage Site. The impressive complex consists of Fasilides' "own" castle and several other buildings he initiated, Iyasu I's palace, Dawit III's hall, a banqueting hall, stables, a turkish bath, lion cages and others.
Fasilides' Castle. Fasilides was emperor of Ethiopia from 1632 to 1667, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. Until his time, emperors used to travel around the empire, living of their peasants products and using their settlements as lodging for their imperial court. Fasilides broke with this tradition and made Gondar his permanet capital and the Fasil Ghebbi his fortified seat.
View from Fasilides' Castle to the library and archive.
(ground map courtesy of Lonely Planet)
The entrance to the complex with the ticket office is now at the Judges' Gate, the exit via Mintewab's Castle. To make the best of your visit, hire a guide to learn about the different buildings - later you can roam around freely and soak up the atmosphere. The ticket is valid also for 'Fasilides' Bath' across town.
The cache is inside of one of the less frequented buildings.
Please make sure you search for it without being seen!
Note by the owner (July 2019):
After four years in Ethiopia, my time in the 'Land of Origins' came to an end in July 2019. I have done my best to widen and maintain the net of geocaches in the country, but now need to call on my fellow cachers for help: If you venture out to search for this cache, please take a replacement container with you, just in case the original is gone. - Sundowner74 |