10th century – 13th century
Ethiopian highlands
Lalibela is a highland Ethiopian urban and religious center associated with the Zagwe Dynasty. Formerly known as Adefa, it became renowned for eleven cross-shaped churches carved into volcanic rock. The city’s name honors the Zagwe king believed to have directed their construction, reflecting the dynasty’s ambition to establish a Christian replica of Jerusalem in Africa.
Continue exploring
The Story
Lalibela lies deep in the Ethiopian highlands and was originally known as Roha. It served as the capital of the Zagwe dynasty, whose rule is placed in the extract from the tenth century to the middle of the thirteenth century. The town’s historical importance is inseparable from the religious and architectural project associated with King Lalibela.
King Lalibela ordered thirteen magnificent churches to be carved out of the rock. Their walls bear saints and mystical symbols, while tunnels and small passages connect the churches to one another. The complex transforms the town into a sacred landscape in which architecture, devotion, and the physical substance of the highland rock are closely joined.
Several traditions explain the origin of the churches. One legend says that Lalibela’s older brother poisoned him and that, during a three-day sleep, he was taken to heaven and shown a city of rock-hewn churches to replicate. Other stories connect him with exile in Jerusalem and a vision instructing him to create a new Jerusalem, including a carved gorge called the River Jordan and a tomb of Abraham.
10th century – 13th century
Ethiopian highlands
Lalibela is a highland Ethiopian urban and religious center associated with the Zagwe Dynasty. Formerly known as Adefa, it became renowned for eleven cross-shaped churches carved into volcanic rock. The city’s name honors the Zagwe king believed to have directed their construction, reflecting the dynasty’s ambition to establish a Christian replica of Jerusalem in Africa.
Continue exploring
The Story
Lalibela lies deep in the Ethiopian highlands and was originally known as Roha. It served as the capital of the Zagwe dynasty, whose rule is placed in the extract from the tenth century to the middle of the thirteenth century. The town’s historical importance is inseparable from the religious and architectural project associated with King Lalibela.
King Lalibela ordered thirteen magnificent churches to be carved out of the rock. Their walls bear saints and mystical symbols, while tunnels and small passages connect the churches to one another. The complex transforms the town into a sacred landscape in which architecture, devotion, and the physical substance of the highland rock are closely joined.
Several traditions explain the origin of the churches. One legend says that Lalibela’s older brother poisoned him and that, during a three-day sleep, he was taken to heaven and shown a city of rock-hewn churches to replicate. Other stories connect him with exile in Jerusalem and a vision instructing him to create a new Jerusalem, including a carved gorge called the River Jordan and a tomb of Abraham.
Continue the journey
Other paths related to this story.