The site

Lalibela is a medieval Ethiopian town in the Amhara highlands, famous for its rock-cut monolithic churches carved from the living stone rather than built up. Traditionally credited to the Zagwe king Gebre Meskel Lalibela, the churches are widely read as a symbolic representation of Jerusalem. Perched around 2,500 metres above sea level, Lalibela remains one of Ethiopia's holiest cities and an enduring center of Christian pilgrimage.

Field notes

civilizations

Medieval Ethiopian

types

Village

occupied

1,137 CE — 1,300 CE

country

Ethiopia

elevation

2,500 m above sea level