Lavish castles are something you would expect to see when
touring Europe, but are a bit more out of place in East Africa. Oddly enough,
Ethiopia is home to a sprawling complex of castle and palace ruins.
Home to Ethiopia’s emperors and princesses during the 17th
and 18th centuries, Gondar boasts an impressive array of fortress
walls, castles, palaces, and royal baths. Strange though it may seem from a
western historical perspective, the first castle was built in 1640.
It is a surreal experience to eat a meal of shiro and
injera, have some locally brewed coffee, and then find yourself wandering among
the massive walls of former castles.
