Lalibela Town

My first trip to Lalibela was during Ethiopian Christmas and it was saturated with pilgrims. Now i see it as it really is – an empty sleepy town with not much going down.

traditional houses

It has it’s own dramatic setting perched 2,630 metres on top of a mountain and surrounded by other rocky outcrops and escarpments. It’s rainy season and the surrounding hills and valleys are verdant.

Seven Olives used to be the best place to eat in town, with it’s garden setting and good food. However clearly there has been a change in chef. Ben Abebe is now the top dog in town, and about as surreal as they come. Their Shepherds Pie is excellent, but their beefburgers were somewhat poor. You cn get a set menu at Mountain View for Birr 150.

 Ben Abebe

Don't forget to do your tourist shopping in Aubrey's.

Rock Strew Churches of Lalibela

 St George

Lalibela is Ethiopia’s prime tourist attraction with it’s 10 rock strewn churches dating back to the 12 century steeped in myth and legend. It is said King Lalibela dreamt up the churches and wanted to create his own pilgrimage site rather than expecting Christians to travel the journey to Jerusalem – a particularly bandit-infested route from Northern Ethiopia.

All 10 projects were completed during his life-time – somewhere between 25 – 40 years, and all their costruction projects were successfully – although all are in varied states of erosion or reconstruction due to varying sandstone contents in the soil. 

a particularly fucked facade

It is generally believed the finest architects, craftsman and masons were part of a team of 40,000 workers who gave their time to celebrate and pay tribute King Lalibela, much as the pyramid builders of Egypt were devoted to the pharaohs.

Their are two main cluster sites each side of the aptly named River Jordan, and each are connected through a labyrinth of tunnels in each section. Most are spectacular from the outside and disappointing on the inside, not least because large parts are curtained off that are sacrosanct (not least because they each hold a direct replica of the original arc of the covenant), and only high priests may enter.   

All the churches have treasured art work - no flash photography is allowed. These were taken with my ISO set at its highest.

 

Entry prices for whites is now US$50, entry fees for the surrounding monasteries are extra. Bring a torch and explore the tunnels.