Gonder

Gonder
Gonder [gän′dər]
city in NW Ethiopia: former capital: pop. 88,000: formerly sp. Gondar

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also spelled  Gondar 
 city, northwestern Ethiopia. It stands at an elevation of 7,500 feet (2,300 metres) on a basaltic ridge from which streams flanking the town flow to Lake Tana, 21 miles (34 km) south.

      Gonder was the capital of Ethiopia from 1632 to 1855, and it has the remains of castles and palaces constructed by a series of emperors from Fasilides (reigned 1632–67) to Iyasu II (1730–55). The ruins of these structures stand within a walled imperial enclosure. The most important buildings are the castle of Fasilides and the palace of Iyasu the Great (reigned 1682–1706). The architectural style of these stone buildings displays a prominent Portuguese influence, along with connections to the Aksumite empire's palaces and the mosques of South Arabia. Only a few of the 44 churches reputed to have existed in Gonder in the 18th century survive, but the city is still an important centre of the Ethiopian Orthodox church; its beautifully decorated 17th-century Debre Berhan Selassie Church is still in use. Gonder suffered greatly during the period of the civil wars (1750–1890) in Ethiopia, but, after the British conquest of The Sudan (1899), the town resumed its trade with the Blue Nile region. The city's inhabitants are mainly Christians, but some Muslims live in the locality.

      Although Gonder is a trade centre for grains, oilseeds, and cattle, the economy of the surrounding area is basically one of subsistence farming. Gonder's craftsmen produce textiles, jewelry, copperware, and leatherwork. The city is a significant highway junction and is served by an airport. The modern hospital has an attached medical university, training staff for rural clinics. Pop. (1994) 112,249.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Gonder — Staat …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • gonder — ● gonder verbe transitif (de gond) Munir de gonds une porte, un châssis. gonder [gɔ̃de] v. tr. ÉTYM. 1845; de gond. ❖ ♦ Rare. Munir d un gond, de gonds. ❖ CONTR. Dégonder …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Gonder — [gän′dər] city in NW Ethiopia: former capital: pop. 88,000: formerly sp. Gondar …   English World dictionary

  • gonder — variant of gander …   Useful english dictionary

  • Gonder — Gondar Pour les articles homonymes, voir Gondar (homonymie). Gondar ጎንደር Gonder Azezo …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Gonder — Original name in latin Gonder Name in other language GDQ, Gondar, Gondehr, Gonder, Gwender, Gwonder, gong de er, gwndr, Гондар, Гондэр State code ET Continent/City Africa/Addis Ababa longitude 12.6 latitude 37.46667 altitude 2201 Population… …   Cities with a population over 1000 database

  • gonder — (gon dé) v. a. Terme d architecture. Mettre des gonds à une porte. Gonder une porte. ÉTYMOLOGIE    Gond …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

  • Gonder (Begriffsklärung) — Gonder steht für: die Hauptstadt der Region Amhara in Äthiopien, siehe Gonder Gonder ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Fernand Gonder (1883–1969), französischer Leichtathlet Ulrike Gonder (* 1961), deutsche Autorin und Ökotrophologin …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Gonder — or Gondar geographical name city NW Ethiopia N of Lake Tana capital of Amhara & former capital of Ethiopia population 98,352 …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Gonder — altGonder o Gondar/alt ► C. del NO de Etiopía, cap. de la región homónima (73 400 km2 y 3 270 440 h); 68 958 h. Ind. textil, del cuero, joyería, trabajos en cobre, etc …   Enciclopedia Universal

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