Lalibela

This article is about the place in Ethiopia. For an eponymous emperor in medieval period, see Lalibela (Emperor of Ethiopia). For other uses, see Lalibela (disambiguation).

Lalibela
ላሊበላ
Town
Rock-Hewn Churches from top left: Church of Saint George; Biete Maryam; Biete Medhane Alem; Biete Abba Libanos
Lalibela is located in Ethiopia
Lalibela
Lalibela
Location within Ethiopia
Lalibela is located in Horn of Africa
Lalibela
Lalibela
Location within the Horn of Africa
Lalibela is located in Africa
Lalibela
Lalibela
Location within Africa
Coordinates: 12°01′54″N 39°02′28″E / 12.03167°N 39.04111°E / 12.03167; 39.04111
Country Ethiopia
Region Amhara
ZoneNorth Wollo
Population
 (2007)
 • Total17,367
Time zoneUTC+3 (EAT)

Lalibela (Amharic: ላሊበላ, romanized: Lalibäla) is a town in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Located in the Lasta district and North Wollo Zone, it is a tourist site for its famous rock-cut monolithic churches designed in contrast to the earlier monolithic churches in Ethiopia.[1] The whole of Lalibela is a large and important site for the antiquity, medieval, and post-medieval civilization of Ethiopia.[1] To Christians, Lalibela is one of Ethiopia's holiest cities, and a center of pilgrimage.

Ethiopia was one of the earliest nations to adopt Christianity in the first half of the 4th century, and its historical roots date to the time of the Apostles. The churches themselves date from the 7th to 13th centuries, and are traditionally dated to the reign of the Zagwe (Agaw) king Gebre Meskel Lalibela (r. c. 1181–1221).[2]

The layout and names of the major buildings in Lalibela are widely accepted, especially by local clergy, to be a symbolic representation of Jerusalem.[3] This has led some experts to date the current church construction to the years following the capture of Jerusalem in 1187 by the Muslim leader Saladin.[4]

Lalibela is roughly 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) above sea level. It is the main town in Lasta, which was formerly part of the Bugna district. The rock-hewn churches were declared a World Heritage Site in 1978.[1]

  1. ^ a b c "Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 24 December 2023.
  2. ^ Windmuller-Luna, Kristen (September 2014), "The Rock-hewn Churches of Lalibela", Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, retrieved 27 July 2017
  3. ^ Phillipson, David (2009). Ancient Churches of Ethiopia: Fourth-fourteenth Centuries. Yale University Press. p. 181. ISBN 978-0-300-14156-6.
  4. ^ Phillipson, David (2009). Ancient Churches of Ethiopia: Fourth-fourteenth Centuries. Yale University Press. p. 179. ISBN 978-0-300-14156-6.