Echage

Security in Gondar depended largely on the sanctity of the echage’s quarter as a place of asylum.

The emperor sent an evasive reply and, upon crossing the border, made sure that the echage (the head of Ethiopia's monastic system) marched on his right.

Täklä Haymanot was the first in a series of monks to become a key figure at Court, as the Echage (ečägé).