Ethiopia is home to the ancient rock-hewn churches of Lalibela. These eleven medieval churches were carved directly into volcanic rock in the northern Ethiopian town of Lalibela.
The churches are traditionally associated with King Gebre Mesqel Lalibela, who ruled the Zagwe dynasty in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. The site was intended to function as a symbolic New Jerusalem, and local tradition connects its construction with the king’s religious vision.
The churches remain active places of Ethiopian Orthodox Christian worship, not merely archaeological ruins. They are linked by trenches, tunnels and courtyards cut into the surrounding rock. UNESCO added the site to its World Heritage list in 1978. The complex is sometimes incorrectly described as a single monument, but Lalibela contains a group of distinct churches and associated structures.