Gonder is a city in Ethiopia, which was once the old imperial capital and capital of the historic Begemder province. The city was founded by Fasilides in 1632. The city stands at an elevation of 7,500 feet on a basaltic ridge from which streams flanking the town flow to Lake Tana. Gonder was the capital of Ethiopia from 1632 to 1855, and it has the remains of castles and palaces constructed by a series of emperors from Fasilides (reigned 1632 to 1667) to Iyasu II (1730 to 1755).