Picture of Cross carved into a pillar of Bet Maryam (Lalibela, Ethiopia)

One of the many crosses carved into a pillar of Bet Maryam

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Normally the start of a tour in Lalibela, the northern cluster of churches is the most extensive and has some very fine examples of rock hewn churches.
Originally constructed as a New Jerusalem after the capture by Muslims, names of several places in Lalibela still carry the name of places in the Holy Land after King Lalibela spent some time in Jerusalem. The world famous rock-hewn churches are divided in three groups, the northern and the southern cluster separated by a small stream called the Jordan river. After you buy or show your tickets at the entrance, you soon descend in the underworld of Lalibela. The churches have all been carved out of the rocky surface, and once you are down, you are in a totally different world, without any connection to the present. Just by going down, you step back centuries. Singing comes out of the church, so I walk around the outside of the church, awe-struck by the magnitude of the building. Centuries ago, King Lalibela and his helpers (angels, according to traditional legend) dug deep trenches in the rock here, and subsequently carved out this enormous church. Bet Methane Alem is also home to the Lalibela Cross.
Read more about: Lalibela Northern Cluster

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