Unless keep on pressure mounting on the pertinent bodies and the government to carry out timely restoration works on one of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Fasiledes Castle, it would disappear for good, scholars warned.
Right now, Ethiopia is working on restoring the endangered rock-hewn churches of Lalibela world heritage and it has also been in diplomatic talks with British National Army Museum to return the locks of hair of Emperor Tewodros II home. The locks of hair have been there for over a century. On the flip side of the heritage preservation efforts, Fasiledes Castle is on the verge of collapsing due to improper heritage management and older age.
So what need to be done to preserve the icon of Gondar? Site Manager of Gondar City International Heritage, Getahun Seyum indicates that Fasiledes Castle encompasses six palaces with other as such older eye catching buildings in general built between 1632 to 1755. He, therefore, says: “Without a doubt, now we can say Fasiledes castle is facing serious danger and can demolish at any time onward.”
Getahun points out that the dangers that are being faced by this wonderful world heritage, structural cracks that are seen on most of the buildings are getting bigger and bigger, he hence, underlines that the heritage is in a great danger. There are termite damage signs in wood parts of the buildings including woods that are core part of the structure of the castle, he adds. As to the manager, the damages being caused by termites are also widely observable on doors and windows of the buildings that demonstrate astonishing architectural wisdom of the time.
He says the city’s Culture and Tourism Bureau is working together with various local and foreign development partners, and they are exerting some efforts of restoration. However, he notes that: “If we continue the restoration works at the current slowest pace, I am afraid that it will be a total loss for the county and the world as well.”
For Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage, Gondar World Heritage Site Manager Amdebirehan Zemene, the danger triggered to the heritage as the result of an attempt to protect these historical magnificent buildings in the usual way, while each and every measurement being taken and also need to be taken demands careful scientific analysis.”
Amdebirehan says that there are rules and regulations made by the federal government, based on UNESCO’s standard and the actual conditions of these heritages, however, he says :“These rules and regulations that are dedicated on how to preserve these heritages are forgotten aside, due to less attention given specifically to the Gondar Heritages from concerned bodies.”
The Fasiledes Castle and other very important heritages of Gondar have no enough budget for their protection, skilled man power, experience, management system, material and other important tools, he notes. As to him, the Fasiledes castle’s core and Buffer zones are not being protected. In the buffer zone of the compound, there are movements of heavy tracks, machinery and others that are creating vibrate on the lands, as a result particularly castles like Etege Mintiwab, which found on the edge of core zone, are highly exposed and now it is standing with support of scaffoldings.
He adds that: “The City administration is also building youth center in the core zone of the heritage site, without proper professional research. It is wrong to construct anything there; even the buildings being constructed today in the compound can’t much with the older buildings.” Amdebirehan summarizes the rest of the problems as most of restoration process conducted yet have been undertaken without due information while this positive intention effort can result negative outcomes.
And also there are problems stressed from having lasting restoration plan to the easy and least cleaning service, these and other problems warn that these heritage can be demolished within very near future. Tewodros Haile, who specialized on Conservation of Urban and Architectural Heritage and lecturer at Architecture Department of University of Gondar, tells The Ethiopian Herald that : “In order to make any process of restoration, repairment or any other activities successful on such heritages, ones need to have pathological map, which enables to see at the detail of all harms and set the right solution with due prioritization.”
However, he says there has been no such breakthrough efforts conducted to preserve Fasiledes castle. “There is no pathological map made, there are no professionals in all necessary fields, and measurements are being taken without research, but it should be known that these temporary and non-consistent and researched solutions themselves could be another big problems,” he notes.
Adding he says; “I doubt that the problem of termites is being caused with alien materials they are using to restore, without research, because termites had not seen there for the past hundreds of years of survival of the heritage.” Agreeing with Getahun and Amdebirehan, Tewodros also reiterates Fasiledes castle world heritage is under very alarming danger.
All say : “A lasting solution need to be taken and there should be pathological map preparation with due budget and professionals research and based on that avoiding ongoing unsearched repairment process, permanent and breakthrough restoration should be conducted.” For this they call on all stakeholders, to give due attention, at least at this late period in order to save these astonishing heritages form collapse.
The Ethiopian Herald, March 19/2019
BY YOSEF KETEMA
