Gondar

Gondar served as Ethiopia's imperial capital from the 17th to 19th centuries, and its Royal Enclosure — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — contains six castle-like palaces built under successive emperors who blended Axumite, Portuguese Baroque, Indian, and Moorish architectural traditions in an entirely original synthesis. Debre Berhan Selassie church, set on a hill above the city, is renowned for its ceiling painted with rows of angelic faces gazing down on a narrative cycle from Ethiopian Orthodox scripture. The city remains a living cultural centre with a substantial Jewish community heritage in the Falasha village quarter.