The redeeming value of the hills in Ethiopia -- and most other places -- is that they produce fantastic views.

As we headed up the hill, groups of people were walking down, presumably heading for the market in Adis Zemen. Unhurried, some would stop for a chat, but we were near total failures at speaking Amharic so the conversations could only go as far as their English could take it.  It was nice that they made the effort to accommodate us.

Along with the agriculture there was animal husbandry and veterinarian services (right).

From the top there is a view that extends to Lake Tana in the distance.

The Castle's history is a little unclear.  The most common recitation is that it was built around 1571-1572 for Emperor Sarste (Sarsa) Dengel (b. 1550 - d. 1597) (reign 1563-1597). Emperor Sarste Dengel was the founder of the Gonder dynasty, thus Guzara would represent the prototype of Gonderian design. Guzara’s architectural resemblance to the Gondarine castle has led recent expert speculation that it was built later. These hypothesis suggest Emperor Susneyos (b. 1572 - d. 1632) (reign 1606-1632) or his successor Emperor Fasilidas (b. 1603 - d. 1667) (reign 1632-1667). Fasilidas established Gondar as the Capital in 1636 and built the first structures in the Royal Enclosure, Fasil Ghebbi, a few years later.

The guide at the site gave five reasons for the selection of this location for Guzara Castle:

1. It is strategic position.
2. It is near existing trade routes, and the trading / commercial center of Emfraz.
3. It is above the malaria zone. (It is usually said to be 2000m, which Guzara is just below, but the limits of the malaria zone have changed over time.)
4. The area is good for agriculture.
5. It has a good esthetic view.

Now-a-days, Guzara Castle is only a shell of a building and perhaps most intriguing as a photographic subject or backdrop for a photo shoot.
 

Khat's appeal is it contains a monoamine alkaloid called cathinone, an amphetamine-like stimulant, which is said to cause excitement, loss of appetite and euphoria. People who are very high on it can act very stupid.

In Infranza, we had coffee and tea in a shop were willing to be photographed. The young girl took a number of coquettish poses. It is a mystery where she learned them, but the top suspect is her very stylish mother.

Out of Infranza the is another 200m climb and about equal descent, after which it is rolling without a lot of perceptible net elevation change.  In fact, over the next 40km there is a net 300m of climbing.

Though he never realized his dream of restoring a strong monarchy, he took some important initial steps: He sought to establish the principle that governors and judges must be salaried appointees. He established a professional standing army, rather than depending on local lords to provide soldiers for his expeditions. He intended to reform the church, believing the clergy to be ignorant and immoral, but he was confronted by strong opposition when he tried to impose a tax on church lands to help finance government activities. His confiscation of these lands created enemies in the church and little support elsewhere.

The character of "Gondar" prior to 1636 is unknown, but in that year Emperor Falisadas, the son of Emperor Susenyos, established Gondar as his national capital.  Prior to this, the Emperors and there large entourages tended to live in roving tent cities that taxed the local people for surplus food and cut down the forests.  When the local resources were impoverished and exhausted they would move on.

Gondar is built on a number of rounded hills with streets curving around them. Within the city numerous trees that enhance its beauty and livability.  Perhaps this is the basis for the reference to Gondar as the "Camelot of Ethiopia".

There are two main reasons most tourist are drawn to Gondar: to access trekking in the Semien Mountains, or to see Fasil Ghebbi, the Royal Enclosure of Gondar. But beyond these draws, the town itself has a pleasant ambience with sidewalk boutiques, cafes, quality restaurants, good views, a variety of public buildings, and plenty of vegetation.
 

There seems to have been an attempt to tie some of the architecture together by building stone-faced modern buildings that roughly replicate the look of the royal palaces at Fasil Ghebbi (left).

At one point, a minor attraction in town was the Dashen beer building. The building is still there but the beer has moved on, so only half the former sign remains. The banner used to read "Dasen Beer".  [Note: 2015, the sign is totally gone.]

The wall of a cafe provokes a discussion with display of posters of great people (right). Left to right, top to bottom, they are: Emporer Tewodros II, Abe Lincoln, Nelson Mandela, Che Guevara, Alexander Graham Bell, Stephen Biko, (unidentified), Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr., Albert Einstein, (unidentified), Helen Keller, Beethoven, Mother Teresa, Marie Curie, John Kennedy, and Thomas Edison.  I wonder if it is a collection that the cafe selected or a collection curated and sold by someone else. Who would be on your list?

One of the cutest (as in Dr. Seuss cute face) sights in town is the statue of an endemic Walia Ibex in a traffic circle (right). It looks quite forlorn isolated in the urban environment. [Note: 2015, it has been removed.]
 

Typical of other Ethiopian towns, a lot of the commerce is in small shops.  This one offers an interesting mix of fresh fruit and plastic ware (right)
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In the city, most of the building had some element of non-traditional materials or construction, but tucked into one plot was a tightly grouped cluster of traditional small, round thatched-roof buildings (right).  Most of the people in the area look like students so conceivably this could be some kind of student housing. From the edge it is hard to know what is happening here.
 

(Royal Gondar)

(South: Bahir Dar to Gondar) (North: Gondar to Zamira)