Shop

LALIBELA

The ancient town of Lalibela is one of Ethiopia’s most remarkable destinations. Here you stare down on eleven 12th-century churches, hewn out of the red volcanic rock. Inside, each one is different, some bright and patterned, others unadorned. Sometimes called monolithic churches, they are considered to be some of the most impressive examples of rock-cut architecture in the world. Your guide leads you from one church to the next, sometimes through silent rock tunnels that connect them. You have plenty of time to imagine the effort required to create them, and to quietly observe the rituals taking place in the vastly varying interiors as you wander barefoot across the floors that are a patchwork of carpets donated by the faithful. Lalibela is a living UNESCO World Heritage Site; here people worship every day as they have done for over 900 years, and during the religious festivals the churches and surrounding land throng with pilgrims.

The rise of the Zagwe Dynasty in the 10th century heralded the start of the Ethiopian Christian Empire. It was the dynasty’s King Lalibela who took it upon himself to oversee the construction of a ‘New Jerusalem’. This was to be an alternative destination for Christian pilgrims in Africa, many of whom were dying trying to cross the Sinai Desert to reach Jerusalem. Lalibela is the breathtaking result of his vision, a vision some believe was built by angels. Although the churches of Lalibela are quite exceptional, the surrounding mountains themselves hide even more gems. These range from the striking striped cave church of Yemrehanne Kristos that lies amidst lush juniper forests and predates the Lalibela churches, to the 13th century rock-hewn church of Genete Mariam, with its vivid frescoes. Then there is the tiny Asheten Mariam monastery, built on the distinctive flat mountain above Lalibela, and accessed through a narrow rock crevice. A reminder of the ease with which a camel can pass through the eye of a needle.