Our 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 prophecy of the time (the same prophecy 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. Their construction is credited to the missionary Pedro Paez, who also succeeded in converting Emperor Susenyos to Catholicism.  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.

Demographics

Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, Gorgora has an estimated total population of 4783, of whom 2283 are men and 2500 are women.[5] The 1994 census reported this town had a total population of 2,768 of whom 1,201 were men and 1,567 were women.