Ethiopia 26, Gondar, Splendor of the Past

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ETHIOPIA
26
Gondar, Splendor of the Past
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Gondar is a town founded in 1636 by the great
Emperor Fassiladas, serving as the royal capital
of Ethiopia for over 230 years. Fasil Ghebbi are
the remains of a fortress-city that was the
residence of the Ethiopian emperor Fasilides and
his successors. After choosing Gondar as capital,
Emperor Fasiladas constructed a Royal Enclosure
that covered 75,000 square metres, and contained
castles, palaces, library and banquet hall etc.
The complex is enclosed by a curtain wall which
is pierced by twelve gates
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The Ethiopian city of Gondar, north of Lake Tana,
is a former imperial capital. Founded by Emperor
Fasilides in about 1636, Gondar was Ethiopia's
capital until 1855. During periods of
instability, Gondar was repeatedly sacked,
leaving most of the imperial buildings in a state
of romantic ruin.
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Following Emperor Bekaffas (1721-1730) death, his
son, Iyasu II, was too young to take the thrown.
As a result, Empress Mentawab reigned from 1730
1755, but after 12 years of ruling from the
palace in the royal compound, she decided to
build her own palace and church outside the
compound
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Empress Mentewab's (1706 - 1773, Empress of
Ethiopia, consort of Emperor Bakaffa, mother of
Emperor Iyasu II and grandmother of Emperor Iyoas
I) history is too complicated to attempt to
describe in any detail here. The Empress lived
during a time of intrigue, turmoil and conflict
between and among various factions and lineages
within the imperial family. Mentewab was born in
Qwara province, and was rumored to have had a
Portuguese grandparent because of this, she was
often suspected of harboring secret Roman
Catholic sympathies.
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Mentewab married Emperor Bakaffa in Qwara 6
September 1722, becoming his second wife (his
first wife having mysteriously died on the day
she was crowned immediately following her
coronation banquet)
A painting of Mentewab on horseback at the
Kuskuam treasure crypt
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Mentewab's Castle Empress Mentewab built
several significant structures in Gondar,
including her own castle in the Royal Enclosure,
and a large banqueting hall as well
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Mentewab's Castle Most significantly she built a
church dedicated to the Virgin Mary at Qusquam
(named for a site in Egypt where the Holy Family
had stayed during their exile) in the mountains
outside of Gondar.
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Empress Mentewab was crowned co-ruler upon the
succession of her son Iyasu II in 1730, and held
unprecedented power over government during his
reign. (She descended in her own right from
emperors who reigned two centuries earlier.)
Contemporary painting of Mentewab laying prostate
at the feet of Mary and Jesus at Närga Selassie,
1748, Unknown 18th century Gondarine painter
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Her attempt to continue in this role following
the death of her son 1755 led her into conflict
with Wubit (Welete Bersabe), Iyasu's widow, who
believed that it was her turn to preside at the
court of her own son Iyoas.
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The conflict between these two queens led to
Mentewab summoning her Qwaran relatives and their
forces to Gondar for support.
Mentewab's Castle carved cross above a window
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Wubit responded by summoning her own Oromo
relatives and their considerable forces from
Yejju.
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Following the death of her husband, Empress
Mentewab took up a romantic liaison with her late
husband's nephew. The Empress' much younger lover
was derisively called "Melmal Iyasu" (Iyasu the
Kept) by members of the court. Mentewab would
have three daughters by "Melmal Iyasu", including
Woizero Aster Iyasu, who would marry the powerful
Tigrean warlord Mikael Sehul.
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Mentewab summoned the powerful Mikael Sehul (who
was to become her son-in-law) to mediate the
dispute and prevent a bloodbath. Upon arriving in
Gondar, he was made Ras.
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Ras is the highest noble rank. One had to be
elevated to the rank of negus by Imperial decree,
but ras was usually hereditary. (The word's
origin is Indo European, hence the Indians' raj,
the Egyptians' ra, the Romans' rex)
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Mentewab had hoped that he would land firmly on
her side, but instead Ras Mikael seized power for
himself, and eventually engineered the murder by
strangulation of Emperor Iyoas I, at which time
Mikael also married the aunt of his victim.  
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Mentewab commissioned the construction of the
KusKuam St. Mary Church, in the hills, about 3km
to the West of Gondar inside an embattled curtain
wall with turrets and gates, similar to, but
smaller than the Royal Enclosure Fasil Ghebbi.
Within its premises, she had herself her
three-storied Mentewab's Palace built as her
retreat from the daily affairs at the royal
center of power. The Banquet Hall at her palace
at Kuskuam became quite famous as she entertained
high guests at her retreat the palace also had a
room with a sunken bath, still present today.
After the murder of her grandson, Mentewab
retired mostly from political life but she would
live to see two more successors the throne. Upon
her death Mentewab too was buried at the Kuskuam
St. Mary Church.
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Mentewab built a church dedicated to the Virgin
Mary at Qusquam (named for a site in Egypt where
the Holy Family had stayed during their exile) in
the mountains outside of Gondar. The St. Mary
church at Qusquam was burnt by Sudanese invaders
in 1988, and rebuilt by the Italians in the late
1930s
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The church building in Ethiopia consists of three
concentric rings. The inner circle (meqdes) is
the place where the of the Ark (tabot) is kept.
Only priests are allowed to enter this part of
the church. The second circle (qiddist) is
reserved for those who received the Holy
Communion. The rest of the congregation stands in
the outer ring (kine mahlet), always barefooted,
on the covered floor.
The tabot is a model of the Ark of the Covenant
of the Old Testament and the central element of
religious activities in the Orthodox Church of
Ethiopia.
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The skeleton of Empress Mentewab, her son,
Emperor Iyasu and her grandson Iyoas I, were
found in the foundations of the Kuskuam St. Mary
church during the rebuilding of the of the church
in the 1930s by the Italians, after which they
were placed in a coffin with a glass window,
currently at display in the Kuskuam treasure crypt
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The remains of Empress Mentewab, her son Emperor
Eyasu II, and grandson Emperor Eyoas I, were
placed together in a glass topped coffin in the
crypt of the church.
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Gate in wall, separating the religious premises
of the Qusquam Mariam church from the royal palace
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Gate in wall, separating the religious premises
of the Qusquam Mariam church from the royal palace
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.Immature Tawny Eagle, Gondar Photo by Stuart
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An embattlement curtain wall with turrets and
gates protected Kuskuam from raiders, until
Sudanese invaders put the place to ashes
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Empress Mentewab was distraught at the murder of
her grandson. She retreated to Qusquam and buried
her grandson there next to her son, and refused
to return to the city of Gondar. She lived at her
palace there in seclusion till the end of her life
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Huts for students at the Kuskuam Church Complex
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Mentewab's Palace and the Mariam Church were set
fire to by the Mahdists from Sudan during their
sacking of Gondar in 1888, and only the walls of
the Banquet Hall of the Palace remain largely
intact. The Italian occupiers during the 1936 -
1941 Ethio-Italian war started the reconstruction
of the church, to be completed by Emperor Haile
Selassie.
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Like the Royal EnclosureEmpress Mentewab s'
Kuskuam Complex is made up of a series of
buildings including a long, castellated palace
used for state receptions and to house the royal
garrison. Its exterior is decorated with red
volcanic tuff spot the figures of crosses and
Ethiopian characters and animals, such as St
Samuel riding his lion
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Empress Mentewab was at times a victor and a
victim, ultimately living out her final years in
seclusion after her grandson Emperor Iyoas I was
murdered in the power struggle
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As menstruating women were forbidden to enter a
church, Mentewab had a circular "Se'el Bet"
Chapel built with Icons her favorite saints where
she would pray when menstruating
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Mentewab's Palace became her favorite residence.
She burried her son, Emperor Iyasu and her
grandson Iyoas I in the Mariam Qusquam Church
after their murders, after which she refused to
return to Mentewab's Castle at Fasil Ghebbi,
staying in her place the remaining years of her
life.
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Text Internet Pictures Sanda Foisoreanu
Sanda Negrutiu Jean
Moldovan Alin Samochis
Daniel Scradeanu
Internet All  copyrights  belong to their
 respective owners Presentation Sanda
Foisoreanu
2014
Sound Aster Aweke - Fiker