Place Name
Named after the fortress in 1868 taken by the British Expedition to Abyssinia to rescue several missionaries and two representatives of the British government taken hostage by the Ethiopian emperor Tewodros II. The Ethiopian monarch had taken the prisoners in a bid to get the British government’s attention after it turned down his requests for military assistance against Islamic rebels. Led by General Sir Robert Napier the mission was hailed a great success in the face of formidable obstacles.
