October 13 2015 - Fasil Ghebbi - Gondar, Ethiopia

October 13, 2015
Gondar, Ethiopia
Hi,
We were spending some time in Gondar – went to Fasil Ghebbi, the fortified part of Gondar, spend some time in the market, eat some Broad beans…

Most of the Israelis get to Gondar and volunteer. See, there used to be many Jews in Ethiopia: Beta Israel,Falash_Mura, Beta Abraham…

Most of them lived around Gondar and made Aliyah (immigrated to Israel), but some were left behind.

The Israelis that get here volunteer with those communities. Atzva already volunteered and I didn’t have time we skip on it.

We did meat some Jewish Ethiopians that immigrated to Israel and came back for a visit .

We already got used to be treated as foreigners (‘Franji’), the funny part was when the local Ethiopians treated our Israeli-Ethiopians friends also as ‘Franji’. Only after couple of minutes of conversation in Amharic, they manage to convince them they are Ethiopians and not Eritreans…

In General, the Ethiopian community in Israel is poor and uneducated. That is the circle of the Aliyah: each new group that comes get into the Israeli society as lowest sociology-economic. In the Factory I work in right now, all the cleaning workers are Ethiopians, some of the security and some of the catering. I haven’t seen except those workers any other Ethiopians in the factory.

During all my studies in the Technion, I only met one Ethiopian. And also he got, was sent there by the army….

Take Care
Gad

Our Israelis – Ethiopian friends we met here.
They came to visit before their marriage.

Opening the morning with baqella

Just a herd of cows in the streets

And some donkeys

Fasil Ghebbi

The entrance to Fasil Ghebbi

Supports to the walls (I’m not sure it really works) Inside Fasil Ghebbi

First building – biggest and most impressive Castle – The castle of Emperor Fasil (Alem Seghed Fasil) (ruled between 1632-1667) who founded the compound – from outside

First building – The castle of Emperor Fasil (Alem Seghed Fasil) (ruled between 1632-1667) – from inside

Nice timber beams

Scary pigeon sitting on the balcony

Looking outside

The rest of the compound

Second building – Asuan Seghediyasu’s castle (ruled between 1682-1706) – from outside

Second building – Asuan Seghediyasu’s castle (ruled between 1682-1706) – from inside

First and second buildings

The wall surrounding the compound

Third Building – The Castle of Yojannes (A-Elaf Seghed Tsaoiku Yojannes) (ruled between 1667-1682) – from outside

Third Building – The Castle of Yojannes (A-Elaf Seghed Tsaoiku Yojannes) (ruled between 1667-1682) – from inside

Fourth Building – Fasil’s Archive (ruled between 1632-1667) – from outside

Fourth Building – Fasil’s Archive (ruled between 1632-1667) – from inside

Between the Buildings

Fifth building – The Lion’s Den

Sixth building – The castle of Dawit (Adbar-Seghed Dawit Oebal Ghinab) (Ruled between 1716-1721)

Ethiopian Church outside Fasil Ghebi compound

Sixth building – pretty ruin – Fasil Ghebbi

Sixth building – The kitchen?

Sixth building – Looking outside

Seventh building – Bekafa’s Castle (Messih-Seghed Bekafa’s) (ruld between 1721-1730) – from outside

A pond outside

Seventh building – Bekafa’s Castle (Messih-Seghed Bekafa) (ruld between 1721-1730) – from inside

Seventh building – Bekafa’s Castle (Messih-Seghed Bekafa’s) (ruld between 1721-1730) – looking outside

Guarding tower on the wall of the compound

Eigth building – Iyasu’s castle (Birhan Seghed Kuregna Iyasu Anditegie Mintiwab’s) (ruled between 1730-1755) – from outside. It is now used as the site offices.