Located in the northern part of Ethiopia, Lalibela was built as a response to the capture of Jerusalem by Muslims and became a center of pilgrimage for most of the country’s Christians.

Bet Giyorgis

Before the rule of Saint Gebre Mesqel Lalibela, of the Zagwe Dynasty, the town was known as Roha and was the capital city of Ethiopia. But after a drugged dream in which the monarch was instructed to build a holy city as a replica of the fallen Jerusalem, Lalibela became a religious center and a true wonder of the world. Lalibela got to see Jerusalem and the Holy Land as a young prince and the layout of the churches he ordered built, proves he tried to mimic certain details.

There are 11 monolithic churches in Lalibela, all built between the late 12^th century and the early 13^th century, during the reign of Gebre Mesqel Lalibela. The holy places are built in 3 basic styles:

Bet Giyorgis Top

Rock-hewn monolithic churches

Lalibela is the only place on Earth where constructions of this kind can be found. They are cut from the rock and separated from it completely by a trench. Bet Medhane Alem, Bet Maryam, Bete Giyorgis are all rock-hewn monolithic churches.

Rock-hewn cave churches

These were built by cutting inwards into vertical cliffs, sometimes widening existing natural caves and openings. Abba Libanos is a great example of the rock-hewn cave churches of Lalibela.

Abba Libanos

Built-up cave churches

Common monolithic churches constructed inside natural caves.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about the churches of Lalibela is that they were all hand-carved by the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian population of the town, who tried their best to replicate the holy structures of Jerusalem. Many of the churches bear the same names as some of the Holy City’s construction and the river that flows through the town is known as the River Jordan.

monolithic church

The monolithic churches of Lalibela are as well constructed as they are beautiful. They are set in four groups, connected by tunnels to better handle the pouring rains of the Ethiopian rainy season, which makes Lalibela inaccessible. Every church is built according to the slope of the terrain and the trenches help carry the water to the River Jordan.

Bet Medhane Alem

Religion is the central point of Lalibela, out of approximately 8-10 thousand inhabitants, one thousand are priests. It’s a simple settlement with no paved roads, no cars or fuel stations, in which electricity has just recently arrived. If you want to take a journey back in African medieval times and see the incredible monolithic churches, consider Lalibela.

Photo credits: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

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