Amba Geshen is the name of a mountain in northern Ethiopia. It is in Ambassel, South Wollo Zone of the Amhara Region, northwest of Dessie, at a latitude and a longitude of 11°31′N 39°21′E. Part of Ambassel woreda, Amba Geshen is one of the mountains of Ethiopia where most of the male heirs to the Emperor of Ethiopia were interned, usually for life. Also known as Gishen Mariam, it was the second of the three such mountains, or amba, said to have been used for this purpose, the other two being Debre Damo and Wehni.
Mount Amba Geshen in northern Ethiopia
European depiction of Amba Geshen, captioned "Abyssinian mountain of children" in French and Dutch
Ambassel is a woreda in Amhara Region, Ethiopia, and an amba, or mountain fortress, located in the woreda. The word Ambasel is derived from two words "Amba" from the Amharic word for plateau, and “Asel” from the Arabic language, which means honey. Together, it means “plateau of honey” or the “land of honey” the woreda is named for this feature. Located in the Debub Wollo Zone, Ambassel woreda is bordered on the west by the Bashilo which separates it from Tenta, on the north by the Semien Wollo Zone, on the southeast by the Mille River which separates it from Tehuledere, and on the south by Kutaber; the Walano, a tributary of the Bashilo, defines most of its southern border. Its largest town is Wuchale.
Ambassel