World Heritage Identification Number: 18
World Heritage since: 1978
Category: Cultural Heritage
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
Continent: Africa
UNESCO World Region: Africa
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The Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela: A Testament to Ethiopian Architectural Mastery
The Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978, stand as a testament to the architectural prowess of the Ethiopian people during the medieval period. Situated in the heart of Ethiopia, these 11 monolithic cave churches serve as a spiritual center for Ethiopian Christianity and remain a significant destination for pilgrims from around the world.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
The 11 medieval monolithic cave churches of this 13th-century 'New Jerusalem' are situated in a mountainous region in the heart of Ethiopia near a traditional village with circular-shaped dwellings. Lalibela is a high place of Ethiopian Christianity, still today a place of pilmigrage and devotion.
Encyclopedia Record: Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela
The eleven Rock-hewn Churches of Lalibela are monolithic churches located in the western Ethiopian Highlands near the town of Lalibela, named after the late-12th and early-13th century King Gebre Meskel Lalibela of the Zagwe dynasty, who commissioned the massive building project of 11 rock-hewn churches to recreate the holy city of Jerusalem in his own kingdom. The site remains in use by the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Church to this day, and it remains an important place of pilgrimage for Ethiopian Orthodox worshipers. It took 24 years to build all the 11 rock hewn churches.Additional Site Details
Area: Not available
(ii) — Significant interchange of human values
(iii) — Unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition
Coordinates: 12.02935 , 39.04042
