Lalibela

While wandering through the steel-and-glass jungle of sleek, modern skyscrapers in Dubai yesterday, it was hard to imagine that within 24 hours I'd be exploring the dark caverns of 12th century rock-hewn churches in Ethiopia. Everything came together as planned though, and after a flight out of Dubai, a night in Addis Ababa, and a morning flight to Northern Ethiopia, I arrived in Lalibela.Without any doubt the most distinctive factor that sets the churches of Lalibela apart from other architecture is that each of them has been completely excavated out of stone. The churches aren't stone carvings, as the famous ruins at Petra are, and they aren't constructed of stone bricks like the ancient Khmer temples of Angkor Wat. They're rock-hewn, meaning that masons carved 40-foot deep trenches into the stone to form giant rectangles, then they hollowed out the centers and carved intricate patterns into the rock, creating giant, ornate churches unlike any structures anywhere else on the earth.I started my tour of Lalibela by visiting it's largest church, Bet Medhane Alem, which, according to my guide book, is likely the largest rock-hewn church in the world. I walked around the perimiter of the church, passing by giant rectangular red-rock columns on the exterior, then explored the dark, cavernous interior. The inside was lit only by a few rays of light coming in from windows carved out of the stone, and since the batteries in my flashlight died in Nepal, I had to carefully feel my way around and watch my step in the dark. The masons who built Bet Medhane left rock columns on the interior as well, which must be necessary to keep the roof from caving in. In between the columns sat a few wooden pews which faced a small Orthodox Christian altar. Wool rugs covered the stone floor. Some tourists I met earlier today told me that the rugs are flea infested, but I walked on them anyway and fortunately didn't get bit.A narrow tunnel through the rock to the West led me to Bet Maryam, a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. I had a tough time seeing inside because the light was so dim, but on the ceiling I could make out colorful painted frescos that are very well-preserved. To the North of the church I visited Bet Meskel, a tiny chapel carved into the excavated rock wall. Inside an old Christian pilgrim stood in front of an Orthodox priest, who was draped in colorful robes and was holding a large golden cross. The priest held the cross out at an angle and the lady kissed it gently in several different places.

For better or for worse, depending on how you look at it, it's hard to find a meal in Lalibela that costs more than three or four dollars. I spent 14 birr on a breakfast of bread and honey with two scrambled eggs, then I bought lunch immediately afterwards for 15 birr, bringing my total expenditures to three US dollars. Lunch was at a place called “Unique Restaurant”, which was highly recommended by my Lonely Planet book. I walked off a crowded mud road into the small green shack that houses the restaurant and also doubles as the owner's house. I asked the Ethiopian lady inside if I could see a menu. “I'm the menu.”, she said, “Do you want pizza, spaghetti, or Ethiopian food?”I took a risk and ordered the Ethiopian food and was brought a giant, spongy flap of bread topped with tender chunks of beef in a spicy brown sauce.

After a quick afternoon nap back at the “Heaven Guesthouse” I finished off the day with a visit to Bet Giyorgis, Lalibela's most recognizable church and one of the most iconic sights in Ethiopia. I walked to the entrance through a narrow crevass excavated into the stone, and while I was inside it started pouring rain. Bet Giyorgis is shaped like a Greek cross and in the interior light streams through rock windows at the top of the chapel and illuminates simple crosses carved into the ceiling. After the rain stopped and the clouds cleared up the combination of the sunset and the pools of water on the ground created an incredible view. Local Orthodox Christians belive that in the 12th century King Lalibela built Bet Giyorgis as a tribute to Ethipoia's Saint George. Just about every visitor to Lalibela can agree that George's church is the most spectacular in the area.