Photo: Chuck Moravec · CC BY 2.0
Lalibela
Eleven medieval churches carved downward out of solid rock.
About
In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, builders at Lalibela cut eleven churches directly into the volcanic bedrock — not built up from the ground but excavated down into it, along with the trenches, tunnels and drainage channels that connect them. They remain active places of worship, and the site is at its most extraordinary during Ethiopian Orthodox festivals, when white-robed pilgrims fill the rock courtyards before dawn.
Highlights
- Bete Giyorgis, the cross-shaped church
- Genna (Ethiopian Christmas) pilgrimage
- Rock-hewn tunnels
- Priests and ancient manuscripts
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