162 



NOETH-EAST AEEICA. 



panthers occasionally venture at night-time. Although it could easily accommodate 

 some 10,000 families, its present population is estimated at only from 4,000 to 

 7,000 Christians and Jews, each occupying a special quarter. The houses of the 

 rich citizens are mostly one-storied roimd towers, with conic roofs thatched with 

 reeds ; the domestic animals occupy the ground-floor, which also serves as a store 

 for utensils and provisions. Being an ecclesiastical centre, Gondar has no foreign 



Fig. 49. — Gondar. 



Scale 1 : 65,000. 



[^ of Gree'-'^ ch d7°sI 



2,200 Yards. 



trade beyond what is required for the local wants. Most of the mechanics, smiths, 

 masons, and carpenters are Kamants and Jews. For five months in the year 

 Gondar would be completely cut off from the southern provinces, but for the bridge 

 built by the Portuguese over the Magech, the chief river of the plain of Dembea, 

 which has hitherto resisted all the inundations. South of Gondar are the villages 

 of Fenja and Jenda, which lie in a well-cultivated district. 



