Gonder, the cross roads of Ethiopian civilization, is located 50km north of lake Tana, 740 km north of Addis Ababa and situated in the foothills of the simian mountain at an altitude of 2,200meters above sea level .Gonder served as the capital of Ethiopia for more than 200 hundreds years from the rise of Fasiladas (1636-67) to the fall of Tewodros (1855-68) instruction in painting, music dance, poetry and many other disciplines thrived. Because of the focus on arts and architecture it has been labeled the Camelot of Africa. Gonder is famous for its massive ruins of imposing castles which depict the old days of our emperors and the skill and the craftsmanship used in the building of these several castles. The city was once a vigorous and vital center of religious learning and art the oldest and most impressive one is the two storey palace of emperor Fasiladas, built from roughly brown basalt stones. it reflects a number of architectural influence of Axumit, portages and Indian, the upper story offers panoramic views and lake Tana is visible on a clearer day , the castle has been renovate  recently by the fund of UNSCO ,the castle compound is registered as world heritage.

The Debre Berhan Selassie (Trinity and Mountain of Light) Church in Gondar is famed for its beautiful examples of Ethiopian church art. Built by an emperor and preserved by an archangel, it is also among the most important churches of Ethiopia. The outside of Debre Berhan Selassie is rather plain, but its interior has made it one of Ethiopia's top tourist attractions. The walls depict biblical scenes and saints and the ceiling is covered with the faces of hundreds of angels. Icons of the Holy Trinity (three identical men with halos) and the Crucifixion have pride of place above the entrance to the Holy of Holies. Another attraction worth visiting is the bathing place of Emperor Fasildas. Their baths are filled with water every year for the Timket (Epiphany) ceremony which is an Orthodox holiday celebrating the baptism of Christ. Once the baths are filled with water the crowd jumps in the pools shouting and laughing.