Ethiopia's Northern Ethiopia
Lalibela
Following the tragic decline of the Axumite empire, the Ethiopian rulers retreated to the towering escarpment of the central highlands, where in the natural protection of the formidable topographic sculptures they could begin to rebuild. Growing ever suspicious of the outside world and those who sought to question their faith, the people of Lalibela effectively removed themselves from the external society, safe within their highland confines.
Today, the city of Lalibela, and its precipitous maze of valleys that intersect the plateau, stands as one of Ethiopia’s most impressive settings. The eleven rock hewn churches found within this maze offer an ever present reminder of these brilliant architects, who shaped the monolithic churches from the rocks themselves, and their extraordinary pursuit of isolation.
