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Lalibela

According to legend Lalibela was born as the brother of the ruling Zagwe king in the 12th century. As a child he was covered by a swarm of bees, which his mother saw as a sign of his later reign. His brother, not happy with the prophecy, tried to poison him, but did not succeed. Still, Lalibela spend three days in a deep sleep, time during which he was carried away to heaven and instructed to build the rock town he has seen there. At the same time his brother had a vision in which Jesus ordered him to resign in favor for his younger brother.

As soon as Lalibela became king, he began to gather craftsmen and workers for the construction of the rock-hewn churches. According to legend angels worked beside his men as they cut each one from the rock, so the construction was developing fast. The town, formerly known as Roha, became known as Lalibela and began to draw thousands of Pilgrimage. Although his dynasty was overthrown, Lalibela is still referred to as a saint. Excavated from a sloping mass of red volcanic scoria under laid by dark grey basalt and interconnected by a maze of tunnels and passages with openings to hermit caves and catacombs the rock-hewn churches give the impression of an underground city. But not only have the rock-churches survived until today. Something far older has, too. The churches’ breath. If you see believers with a bible in their hand sitting there in prayer and listen to the chanting, you get the impression that time is standing still, that you witness a scene who has taken place hundreds of years ago. The churches are for at least 800 years the religious and spiritual center of the region. Lalibela is referred to as a New Jerusalem, with a river named Jordan and sites corresponding to the holy places of the great city. An Ethiopian saying says: "If you do not wish to see Lalibela, you are like someone who has no desire to see the face of Christ."

Find more about Lalibelaat Historicethiopia.com

--Historicethiopia (talk) 03:56, 7 March 2014 (UTC)

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