Lalibela is the Ethiopian city famous for the rock-hewn church of Biete Medhani Alem.
Lalibela's churches were carved directly from volcanic rock, rather than assembled from separate stone blocks. The complex was developed mainly during the reign of King Gebre Mesqel Lalibela in the late 12th and early 13th centuries.
Biete Medhani Alem, whose name means “House of the Saviour of the World,” is generally described as the largest of the eleven rock-hewn churches at Lalibela. The churches are connected by trenches, tunnels and pathways cut into the rock.
Lalibela is a major pilgrimage site for Ethiopian Orthodox Christians and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. The city was historically associated with a symbolic “New Jerusalem,” reflecting the religious purpose and layout of its monumental churches.