Gareth in Lalibela

It must be nearly nine months since we had confirmation of our placement in Ethiopia. At that time I knew very little about the country that was to be home for the next two years. Up until then, Ethiopia had been synonymous with famine, athletes and Emperor Haile Selassie; I now have a very different view of a country that continues to reveal so much of its rich cultural heritage.

The latest part of my education took place in Lalibela where we spent a wonderful three-day break. Set in the mountains of Lasta, Lalibela is one of Ethiopia’s premier tourist destinations and is part of the northern Christian Heritage trail that also takes in centres such as Axum, Gonder and the monasteries of Tigray. It is a small, isolated town that attracts visitors to 11 astounding rock-hewn churches. As with so much Ethiopian history, legend and fact are sometimes very difficult to disentangle and the history of the Lalibela churches are no different.

There appears to be consensus that the churches and the many interconnecting tunnels, chapels and crypts were constructed in the 12^th and 13^th  centuries during the reign of King Lalibela. However, how they were built is altogether more contentious. I prefer to accept that they were yet another product of highly skilled Ethiopian masons and labourers rather than the celestial intervention of angels during the hours of darkness. One only has to look at the Stelae at Aksum and the ruins at Yeha to appreciate that an astonishing history in construction stretches back thousands of years. 

Writers far more adept at expressing themselves than I have struggled to comprehend the immensity of what confronts the visitor to Lalibela so I’ll settle for a rather lazy conclusion that it has to ‘be seen to be believed’. A distinctive feature of some of the churches is not that they have been hewn from the rock but are, in fact free standing; the most spectacular and recognisable of which is Bet Giyorgis. The Lonely Planet Guide describes Bet Giyorgis as the ‘most mesmerising object in all of Ethiopia’, a claim that is very difficult to dispute even amongst so many astonishing buildings. Incredibly, it is also the only church that, as yet, hasn’t been protected by one of UNESCO’s unsympathetic protective ‘umbrellas’. When asked, our guide replied the locals were ambivalent, at best, about the protective roofing and that it seemed to cause more consternation for the visiting tourists. I suppose it’s the feeling that somehow we have been cheated and are not seeing the churches as they have stood for so many hundreds of years before the conservationists intervened. That aside, Lalibela is a must for any itinerary. At least that will allow you to reach your own conclusions about the place and free me from searching for the words that will really do the experience justice.