Roha was the original name for this small town placed at 2500 meters in the Amharic region of Northern Ethiopia.
It was the center of the Zagwe dynasty that ruled the land from the 10th to 13th centuries, and the name was changed in honor of King Lalibela, who (rather unbelievably) constructed plethora of churches from solid rock within his lifetime, inspired to create a “new Jerusalem.”
Lalibela is a UNESCO world heritage site, and must be seen to be believed. In fact the earliest Europeans to encounter Lalibela felt they would not be believed if they wrote of it. In the 1520’s the first visit from a Portuguese priest inspired him to write “I weary of writing more about these buildings, because it seems to me that I shall not be believed if I write more … I swear by God, in Whose power I am, that all I have written is the truth.”
It is no longer such a remote town to visit, now that there is daily air service from Addis. There were few if any Americans there though during our brief stay. – Tom
Top Twelve – While guidbooks still write of the Lalibela of recent memory, isolated and singular, air travel has changed that. Welcome to Lalibela, and the tiny airport where a plethora of tourist class hotels are happy to wisk you way, including the Top Twelve Hotels – er, I mean, hotel. Oh, good one. 
Trenches of Stone – Since the churches are carved from rock, they are set down into the rock, meaning you pass into them and between them in tunnels and trenches. These winding paths impress upon you the amount of labor required to excavate the stone, and how much time and human life must have gone into the construction of the Lalibela church complex. 
What is “Rock-Hewn” – Lalibela is famous for it’s churches, which bring both Ethiopian Orothodox pilgrims and European tourists to the town in droves. The churches are hammered out of solid volcanic tuff rock … not rocks, but rock. One rock. The colums you see in brick were added by the Italians for preservation in the ’40s. Lalibela is a UNESCO world heritage site 
Gothic and Moorish – A mix of architectural references coexist in Lalibela, with classic European motifs along with Greek, Egyptian and Ethiopian forms. 
Windows and Symbols – Sign and the Seal would have us believe that Lalibela had contained the Ark of the Covenant, adn that Freemasons where invoved. Not sure. But its clear that this is an amazing crossroads of cultures, with rich significance imbued in many of the architectural details. This is on Bet Danaghal. It’s estimated it would have taken 40,000 workers to carve the churches of Lalibela. 
One solid piece of rock. – Inside Bet Medhane Alem, there are support columns that, even of they were carved and brought to the chuch site, erected in place, would be amazing. But to think that these, the scalloped roof, the floor, the walls are all one piece of stone, hollowed out with simple hand tools, boggles the mind. 
Passages – Between Bet Medhane Alem and Bet Maryam (Church of Mary) in the northwest cluster is a narrow passage. I arrived just after service and there was a steady stream of worshippers coming through the only link between the church clusters, meaning it was a long but visually stunning experience to wait for a chance to pass. The faithful going one way, the few tourists like myself traveling agianst the flow the other way; it seemed to separate us well. 
Holy Bush – Making in through the narrow 10 meter tunnel, the other side opens up on a massive excavation in the rock, where worshippers were lingering around a significant bush in one corner, and priests continued to pray in the small clusted of 4 churches: Bet Maryam, Bet Mikael, Bet Golgotha and Bet Danaghel. 
Holy Font – There are, carved into these “courtyards” between churches, some ceremonial fonts that have fine-leafed water plants covereing the surface. I am told this one cures womans infertility. If they had one for men as well, I am sure I would have seen more tourists at the church. Another in the vicinity is a baptisimal pool. 
Shoe Monitor – As you must remove your shoes to enter the churches, and pass from one to the next within several meters of each other within the same compound, there are professsional shoe-watchers that keep track of your footwear as you progress through the tour. 
Apostle Carving – Bet Golgotha is considered one of the most holy churches in Lalibela. Women are not allowed to enter this one church, nor the Selassie chapel within it, which few are ever allowed to see. 
One of the Aposltles, Bet Golgotha – There are tombs for each of the 13 apostles in Bet Golgotha as well as the rumor than King Lalibela himself is buried under the stone in the floor of the chapel. 
The light fades on Lalibela – As the evening light casts shades of blue, I felt sure this visit was far too short. In some ways Lalibela is a good starting place for the trip to North Ethiopia’s rich cultural sites. In another way it feels too accessible, disappointingly easy. That seems like unfair criticism, given that the churches, in their own right, are such world treasures. 
Amharic Houses – If you leave the Northeast church cluster to see the amazing Bet Giyorgis, you pass these two story roundhouses which are unique to this area. These are the style of this area, which is Amharic in ethnicity 
Flush – Another view of Bet Gyorgis with a different lens shows how it is flush with the massive rock it is carved from. But the gap between the surrounding rock and the church is deceiving. 
Entrance – To enter Bet Giyorgis you descend slowly in a trench of rock that wraps around the main excavation, and then pass through a tunnel into the compound. 
Lichens – The stone of each church is somewhat different, but all is said to be a form of volcanic tuff, although it seems much more dense that “tufa” rock. Bet Gyrogis seems more granitic than the others. 
View from the back… – It is hard to frame the entire church in one exposure, so I use wide lenses which end up distorting it. But from the rear it looks quite different than the front. 
The newest of the old – Bet Giyorgis is said to the be the last church carved in the reign of King Lalibela. Carved in the shape of a cross, it stands as an isolated monolith, away from all the other churches 
A view from the southwest. – The legend was that St George was so upset that there was no church dedicated to him that he personally visited Lalibela, who immediately corrected the oversight. 
Mummy – There are niches in the outer walls of many of the churches, used for ceremony and special burials, presumably of priests. Only in these niches at Bet Giyorgis where there actually mumified remains of several people adjacent the front entrance of the church. 
Bet Giyorgis – The most photographed church in Lalibela, perhaps because it is not protected by a canopy as the others are. Church of St. George the dragon slayer, a very important saint in Ethiopia. 
Pilgrims – The north of Ethiopia is the spiritual center of the Orthodox religion, and brings Christian Ethiopians to bear on the town from the extensive world-wide diaspora. While women were these white gowns on the street on church days, men also drape themselves in white linen scarves when entering a holy site. This is Bet Medhane Alem, the largest church in Lalibela. 
Bet Maryam, Church of the Virgin Mary – Bet Maryam has beautiful carved and painted roof details, and features a sacred column that is preported to be inscribed with the Ten Commandments, as well as the truth of the beginning and end of the world. Being such powerful secrets, the column has been covered in cloth since the 16th century, and the veil is too dangerous to lift, according to priests. This is the most popular church for Ethiopians since it is dedlicated the the Virgin, and the first church built in Lalibela, in or around the 12th century.
10 Responses
Thank you for sharing.
Being an old customer of yours, I have come to expect fine coffees to roast, along with detailed information of their origins & of course, beautiful pictures. Your interest in the people who grow & prepare the coffees for us is remarkable. You bring a feeling to me of being a part of an international family. You now present the wonders of LALIBELA, ETHIOPIA. By demonstrating the mix of religions & cultures in this region, you once again bring us into the world community. By doing this you bring many of us hope & optimism that our country may once again join the world community. Just want you to know how I truly value being a part of your family. I sincerely hope the turmoil now occurring in Ethiopia can be resolved quickly. R Tennant Teeter. Pine Knoll Shores , NC
I have been talking to some of the people we work with in Ethiopia. It’s not a good situation at all, but the unrest is focused in the north and isn’t widespread … yet. I hope there’s a diplomatic solution and soon… Anyway thanks for your concern and comment. I really agree … and think that knowing where our products come from helps build that connection and concern with the rest of the world!
Amazing! Thanks for the tour.
Hope Trump does not see these photos, as he will want similar, and we will have to listen to CNN “experts” discussing the subject ad nauseum, while the psychologists just shake their heads.
It’s wonderful to see where our coffees come from. We’ve been especially enjoying the Ethiopian coffees, and now I can feel a closer relation to the coffee I drink. Thanks for the great tour – I had no idea these churches existed.
Looking at these photos, I am jealous of the world travel experiences T Owens has had, and very grateful for His talented photography skills. It would be enough if he just had the ability to source really great coffees for us (and he always does!), but the photos here and in all the post cards I’ve received in my orders over the years are treasures in themselves. Thank you for sharing these.
Thank you! I really means a lot to get this kind comment !
I have to admit that I agree a lot with the first comment one the page – I have been buying coffee from you for a long while, and I do very much appreciate/enjoy the photos/stories that you add to the wonderful coffees! Please continue to do both things – and, may the miracle of peace on both our country and Ethiopia actually happen!
Thanks for sharing these. A customer of yours sent them to me, and I especially loved seeing your photos of the fantastic building practices, stone carvings, and paintings of the area. I fear that Covid has restricted your travels of late, and I hope that you’re faring well despite that. Thank you for the reminder that we are all connected and related and live in the world together. Wishing you all the best during this Thanksgiving holiday week.