Bahir Dar is a city in north-western Ethiopia. It is the capital of the Amhara Region (kilil).
Administratively, Bahir Dar is a Special Zone, a designation in between a chartered city (astedader akabibi, a first-tier division, like a kilil) such as Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa, and cities like Debre Marqos and Dessie, which are organized as districts (woredas).
Bahir Dar is one of the leading tourist destinations in Ethiopia, with a variety of attractions in the nearby Lake Tana and Blue Nileriver. The city is known for its wide avenues lined with palm trees and a variety of colorful flowers. It is also considered one of the most beautiful, well planned, and safest cities by many standards. In 2002 it was awarded the UNESCO Cities for Peace Prize for addressing the challenges of rapid urbanization
