Emfraz
| Emfraz | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
 Emfraz
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| Coordinates: 12°15′30″N 37°37′45″E / 12.25833°N 37.62917°ECoordinates: 12°15′30″N 37°37′45″E / 12.25833°N 37.62917°E | |
| Country | Ethiopia |
| Region | Amhara |
| Zone | Semien Gondar |
| Population (2005 est.) | |
| • Total | 9,162 |
| Time zone | EAT (UTC+3) |
Emfraz or Enfraz (also spelled Imfraz, Infraz, Ge'ez: እምፍራዝ imfrāz or እንፍራዝ infrāz. Also called Guba'e, Ge'ez: ጉባኤ gūbā'ē, "assembly" and Guzara, Ge'ez: ጉዛራ, gūzārā) is an historic town and district in northern Ethiopia. Located in the mountainous area overlooking the northeast shore of Lake Tana in the Semien Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, it sits at a latitude and longitude of 12°15′30″N 37°37′45″E / 12.25833°N 37.62917°E.
Emfranz is located on the all-weather asphalt road which connects Bahir Dar to Gondar. With improvements to this road, and the advent of electrical service, since 2005 Emfranz has become an important market center for fish from Lake Tana.
The earliest notice of Emfraz was in the 14th century, when Gebre Iyasu, a disciple of Ewostatewos, founded a monastery there. The Imam Ahmad Gragn camped there during the rainy season of 1543, after he defeated Cristovão da Gama at the Battle of Wofla. The Emperor Menas later used it as his camp during the rainy season of 1559, and thereafter it was favored as an administrative center by the succeeding Emperors: Sarsa Dengel spent the rainy season there three times between 1571 and 1580, then every rainy season for four years beginning with 1585, eventually building a stone castle there, possibly modelled on the Ottoman fort at Debarwa.
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Wikipedia