Lalibela Photo Gallery by Chris Willis at pbase.com

Bahir Dar | Gondar | Axum | Lalibela | Addis Ababa

Lalibela

Our final stop on the Ethiopian Northern Historical Loop was Lalibela, home of Ethiopia's famous rock-hewn churches, built in the 12th Century. Local legend has it that the churches were built with the assistance of angels. However they were built, they are certainly spectacular.

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The scenery around Lalibela is dramatic.	This is the tallest mountain in the area, and home to Asheton Maryam Monestary.
	The roads near Lalibela carry more pedstrians and animals than automobiles.	Bet Medhane Alem Church, the largest monolithic rock-hewn church in the world.	Bet Medhane Alem
A priest reads in a nook carved into the stone wall surrounding the churches.	Bet Medhane Alem. Note upper windows with design reminiscent of the top of the pre-Christian Ezana Stela in Axum.		Interior of Bet Medhane Alem
	Entrance to Bet Maryam Church	Wall surrounding some of the northwestern cluster of churches in Lalibela	Intricate paintings on the ceiling of Bet Maryam Church
	A priest shows off a traditional cross. The sunglasses, we later learned, are worn because of camera flashes.	Intricate window designs	All of the churches contain paintings within.
Carving of an Ethiopian saint inside Bet Golgotha. This is the only church in Lalibela in which women are not permitted.		A beautiful cross-shaped window
	Typical Lalibela house construction	The mountain home of Asheton Maryam Monestary, as seen from Lalibela. The Monestary sits in the "notch" in this mountain, about 2,000 feet above Lalibela.	Scenery on the ascent to Asheton Maryam
A small village on the trail up to Asheton Maryam	Visiting Asheton Maryam involves climbing from Lalibela (8,200 feet) to the Monestary, which lies at 10,135 feet.	Inside Asheton Maryam, a priest uses a cross to cure a local resident. The ancient cross, said to date back to the 12th century along with the monestary itself, is reputed to have healing powers.	Asheton Maryam's ancient crosses
Inside Asheton Maryam	A priest inside Asheton Maryam	Asheton Maryam has a collection of books said to be at least 500 years old.
	Stunning scenery on the trail from Lalibela to Asheton Maryam		A plateau halfway between Lalibela and Asheton Maryam houses a small village.
A local family works with hay and livestock			Our mules head down the rocky, steep trail to Lalibela.
Bet Giorgis, the most famous rock-hewn church in Lalibela	Bet Giorgis	Entrance to Bet Giorgis
	A priest displays the ancient crosses of Bet Giorgis Church	The remains of hermits in a wall nook near Bet Giorgis	A priest at the entrance to Bet Giorgis
Carved window, Bet Giorgis	Residences in Lalibela	Bet Gebriel-Rafael in the southeastern cluster of churches in Lalibela	A priest shows us the crosses at Bet Gebriel-Rafael
Bet Gebriel-Rafael. This church is thought to date back to the 7th or 8th century, and may originally have been a secular building (like a palace) rather than a church.	Trenches around the southeastern cluster of churches	A painting in Bet Mercurios, showing Saint Mercurios killing the evil King Oleonus.	Bet Emanuel
Entrance of Bet Emanuel		We were told that the holes in the exterior of Bet Emanuel were the result of fighting during the revlution that overthrew the Derg communist regime.	Trench in the southeastern cluster of churches
Another priest shows us the traditional crosses under his care	Bet Abba Libanos		The sun streams through clouds over Lalibela
	A road near Lalibela being traversed by people carrying items to market		A final look at the towering mountain that is the home of Asheton Maryam

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comment |

zola		28-Aug-2009 19:56
yes!i know the place where the attractive picture taken, i always give thanks for the photographer.

Tricia Collins		14-Jan-2008 01:34
Your photos were much better than mine-I went to Mekele, Ethiopia this past June for two weeks for humantarian work. It is too bad that you never really got to set out on your own. The kids who you said bothered you by begging, weren't really a problem with us. They quickly got used to us being there and loved having their photos taken,they wanted to hold hands or just walk with us. We took one day off to go to the country to see the rock-hewn churches and the "guides" of kids we had following us simply got underfoot. They actually fought over our empty water bottles. That was just plain sad. There were no tourists in Mekele. Our hotel was spartan by US standards ($18 USD per day) but quite nice with a view of the center of the city. The shower was within the bathroom next to the toilet with no curtain, but quite welcomed after a long day working and walking back and forth. The breakfast was included and toast and espresso (Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee afterall) with juice. The service was very good and we made friends with some. You say that you are picky with food. The injera is fine the first few times, but does get "old" but shiro is great and the rice dishes are good. The bhuna or coffee ceremony is not to be missed. Drinking three cups is the tradition but I only made the third cup once. In a private home popcorn accompanied the coffee with little cookies. I loved Ethiopia-the people and the culture and hope to return.

Guest		03-Dec-2007 00:53
Thank you for allowing me the privilege to see the "Rocks" that cry out to the glory of God as the Holy Scriptures proclaimed. From the beginning, God. . . ., Elizabeth

Christopher		16-Feb-2007 08:26
Fascinating. Did the monks show you a 14th century solid silver w/gold leaf drum? Magnificant !!! I only have a picture of it, but need to know if it still exists. I am a collector of drums from all cultures and eras and need to communicate with the monks about borrowing it for a museum exhibition. Do you have any way for me to get in touch with them? please email me at worldbeat@att.net

wes		07-Feb-2007 13:16
great pictures!

MONK		29-Jan-2007 20:14
You both did such an amazing job with photography!!

Ena		28-Jan-2007 19:57
Fotos maravillosas, colores, vestimentas, casas, paisajes, decoraciones en las iglesias, muy hermosas. Un gran trabajo fotografico lleno de colorido e interes. Felicitaciones a los dos.

Guest		28-Jan-2007 19:54
These are wonderful, great color of the robes, very interesnting buildings and contry side. Well done!

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