Gondar: History, Former Names & Timeline

Capital of the Ethiopian empire from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century; the castles of the Fasil Ghebbi mix Aksumite, Arab and Portuguese styles.

Map showing Gondar in 1815 — Border map for 1815. See the world in 1815.

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<p style="font-size:13px;margin:4px 0 0">Interactive map: <a href="https://chronicamaps.com/en/city/gondar">Gondar: History, Former Names &amp; Timeline</a> · Chronica Maps</p>

Former names of Gondar

From	Name	Note
1636	Gondar

Timeline of Gondar

Year	Event
1636	Emperor Fasilides makes Gondar his capital
1769	The Era of the Princes begins and imperial power declines
1855	Tewodros II moves the capital away
1888	Sudanese Mahdist forces sack Gondar
1941	Italian forces surrender at Gondar

Who ruled Gondar

Derived from the border maps; each row runs until the next recorded border change.

Period	State
500 BC–499	West African cereal farmers
500–599	Axum
600–699	West African cereal farmers
700–999	Axum
1000–1199	Unclaimed / no data
1200–1299	Ifat
1300–1913	Ethiopia
1914–1919	Abyssinia
1920–1937	Ethiopia
1938–1944	Ethiopia (Italy)
1945–today	Ethiopia

Famous people of Gondar

Lived	Person
1844 – 1913	Menelik II	Emperor of Ethiopia

Nearby cities

Aksum · about 216 km
Addis Ababa · about 422 km

Questions about Gondar

Which states have ruled Gondar?

On the historical border maps from 500 BC to today, Gondar lies within 6 different states: West African cereal farmers, Axum, Ifat, Ethiopia, Abyssinia, Ethiopia (Italy).

What are the key dates in the history of Gondar?

1636: Emperor Fasilides makes Gondar his capital. 1769: The Era of the Princes begins and imperial power declines. 1855: Tewodros II moves the capital away. 1888: Sudanese Mahdist forces sack Gondar. 1941: Italian forces surrender at Gondar.

Which famous people are connected with Gondar?

Menelik II (emperor of ethiopia, 1844 – 1913).

Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.