LALIBELA

The eighth wonder of the world, is Ethiopiaprime tourist attraction.

First known as Roha and built as a replica of Jerusalem, the city was renamed after the Emperor Lalibela who found it.

Walking through the village you will see the mountainous landscape of the region of Lasta, where the peasants labour to cultivate their patches of stony fields with the traditional hook-plough. Strolling across a gently undulating meadow, you will suddenly discover in a pit below you a mighty rock - carefully chiselled and shaped -the first rock church. None of these monuments of Christian faith presents itself to the visitor on top of a mountain as a glorious symbol of Christ�s victory, to be seen from far away by the masses of pilgrims on their road to the 'Holy City', they rather hide themselves in the rock, surrounded by their deep trenches, only to be discovered by the visitor when standing very close on top of the rock and looking downwards.

In Lalibela itself you will find two main groups of churches, one on each side of the river Jordan and one other church set apart from the rest. The town of Roha-Lalibela lies between the first and the second group of churches. It is situated on the higher part of a mountain-terrace on a vast plateau of rock.

The only remains are 11 rock hewn churches, carved and hollowed out of volcanic rock, including various shrines.Four churches are monolithic in the strict sense; the remainder are excavated churches in different degrees of separation from the rock. The walls of the trenches and courtyards contain cavities and chambers sometimes filled with the mummies of pious monks and pilgrims.

They are known respectively as:

• In the North:Bieta (church) Medhane Alem, Bieta Maryam, Bieta Maskal, Bieta Danagel, Bieta Golgota Mikael or Golgota Debre Sina (three shrines)
• In the East : Bieta Amanuel, Bieta Marqorewos, Bieta Gabriel Rufael, Bieta Abba Libanos
• In the West : Bieta Giyorgis