Gorgora
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Gorgora | |
  Gorgora
|
|
| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | Ethiopia |
| Region | Amhara Region |
| Zone | Semien Gondar Zone |
| Population (2005) | |
| - Total | 4,783 (est) |
| Time zone | EAT (UTC+3) |
Gorgora (Ge'ez: ጎርጎራ Gōrgōrā, also, especially formerly, ጐርጐራ Gʷargʷarā, modern prononciation Gʷergʷerā) is a town and peninsula in northwestern Ethiopia. Located south of Gondar on the north shore of Lake Tana, in the Semien Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of .
Gorgora refers to a small peninsula jutting into Lake Tana as well as to a small village hosting a harbour. The peninsula was important in the past as the site of an important Jesuit residence: "Old" Gorgora was located 5 km northeast, inland from Maryam Gimb, which was called [New] Gorgora, and 5 km west of Debre Sina and its churches (usually not considered a town in its own right).[1]
Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, Gorgora has an estimated total population of 4783 of whom 2283 were males and 2500 were females.[2] The 1994 census reported this town had a total population of 2,768 of whom 1,201 were males and 1,567 were females.
Ferries sail from the port to Bahir Dar via Kunzela and Dek Island.
[edit] History
Gorgora served as one of the early capitals of Ethiopia during the reigns of Emperor Susenyos I and his son Fasilides before Fasilides founded Gondar. It was selected as a capital as it started with the letter "gʷa" (Ge'ez: ጐ), as dictated by a prophesy of the time (the same prophesy led to the rise of Gondar).
Ruins of the structures the Jesuits built can still be seen, although most of the buildings fell following an earthquake in the 1950s.[citation needed] Their construction is credited to the missionary Pedro Paez, who also succeeded in converting Emperor Susenyos to Catholicism.[3] The town is known for the Debre Sina church (built in 1608), its many monasteries, the palace of the Emperor Susenyos located nearby, and the Portuguese cathedral that was abandoned after Emperor Fasilides expelled the Jesuits.
Gorgora formed part of the defenses of the Italian last stand, under General Guglielmo Nasi, around Gondar. In October 1941, the Italians had one battalion at Gorgora; within a month the garrison was 1500 strong. In 1960 the public health service set up a center in this town, one of the first four in the countryside of Ethiopia. Gorgora was selected due to its proximity to the Public Health College in Gondar.[4]
[edit] Notes
- ^ Andreu Martinez, "Gorgora", in Siegbert Uhlig, ed., Encyclopaedia Aethiopica, vol. 2, Wiesbaden: Harrasowitz, 2005, pp.853-4.
- ^ CSA 2005 National Statistics, Table B.4
- ^ David Buxton, Travels in Ethiopia, second edition (London: Benn, 1957), p. 115
- ^ "Local History in Ethiopia" (pdf) The Nordic Africa Institute website (accessed 19 March 2008)
[edit] External links
- The View From Gondar: Part III, Gorgora by John Graham (Addis Tribune)
