Itinerary to discover Lalibela, an ancient Ethiopian village, including the Rock Churches, a magnificent example of rock architecture.
What to see in Lalibela
Located in the Uollò region at about 2700 meters above sea level, Lalibela was formerly called Roha.
Between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries it was the capital of the Zagwe dynasty, which included the famous king Ghebrè Mascal Lalibelà, to whom the construction of this city is attributed, called Lalibela after his death.
Lalibela is considered the Jerusalem of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church for the presence of a complex formed by 11 monolithic cave churches dating back to the thirteenth century.
These churches made from red volcanic rock, connected together by a labyrinth of tunnels, are made up of two groups separated by the Jordan River.
On one side are the churches that represent earthly Jerusalem, while on the other side are the churches that make up heavenly Jerusalem.
Rock churches
The rock churches were built by the will of King Lalibela, who would have been called with this name following a prodigious event, which saw him surrounded by a swarm of bees at the time of birth, a sign interpreted by the mother as divine and indicating his destiny , which would have led him to become the King of Ethiopia.
The legend says that King Lalibela, during the period in which he fell into a coma following a poisoning caused by his brother, was brought to heaven where he had a vision of the city carved out of the rock, which he was invited to make on earth after his recovery.
These splendid works, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, constitute a refined example of the Ethiopian architectural tradition.
