WMF’s relationship with Queen Mentewab’s mid-18th-century palace and the 17th-century archaeological site in Gondar, Ethiopia, began in 1998 when they were placed on the 1998 and 2000 World Monuments Watch lists. WMF consultants visited the site and provided a report that was supported by a 1999 American Express grant. (...)
WMF’s relationship with Queen Mentewab’s mid-18th-century palace and the 17th-century archaeological site in Gondar, Ethiopia, began in 1998 when they were placed on the 1998 and 2000 World Monuments Watch lists. WMF consultants visited the site and provided a report that was supported by a 1999 American Express grant. The conservation project has recently been revived and WMF is focusing specifically on the conservation of the banqueting hall, built by Queen Mentewab, that is scheduled to be completed December 2009. WMF is collaborating with ARCCH (Agency for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage), the Ethiopian Cultural Heritage Project, and Fasil Giorghis Architects to mitigate deterioration, to protect Ethiopian heritage, and preserve its authenticity.
The 18th-century palace and banqueting hall built by Queen Mentewab have not only become the kingdom’s finest example of “Gondarian style” architecture, embodying the best of Portuguese and Indian influences, but also illustrate the confluence of cultures in this region.
