The mysterious and extremely holy city of Lalibela is located approximately 700km north of Addis Ababa. The city is the home to what some consider being the eighth wonder of the world.
The town has 11 rock-hewn monolithic churches built by King Lalibela in the late 12th and 13th century. These miraculous churches with spectacular ancient architectural structures are caved, inside and out, out of massive rocks that took almost 25 years to complete.
King Lalibela was the second son of King Zan Seyum – the 7th King of Zagwe dynasty. He had lived in Jerusalem for 5 years before he became king and aimed at establishing New Jerusalem in Ethiopia. UNESCO has recorded this site as one of the world’s wonders. The Lalibela rock-hewn churches apart from their historical significance are renowned for their excellent and unique rock caving that is believed to have been partly built by angles. The detail displayed on the rocks reflects the beautifully executed craftsmanship of this time.