Lalibela, Ethiopia (ላሊበላ) is home to the incredible rock churches of Lalibela, carved from single blocks of stone. Here’s my blog: http://migrationology.com/
When I traveled to Ethiopia, I first stayed in Addis Ababa. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to get to Lalibela, a destination I had dreamed of visiting, because I didn’t really have the time to take the bus, and I didn’t think I could afford the flight. But one day, I decided to drop by the Ethiopian Airlines office in downtown Addis, and they gave me a quote for a roundtrip flight to Lalibela at just over $100. I took it, and I’m so glad I was able to visit this incredible little town.
Lalibela, Ethiopia (ላሊበላ) is one of the most important and holy cities in all of Ethiopia for followers of the Ethiopian orthodox church. Under control of King Lalibela, the goal was to turn the small town into a the second Jerusalem. Building rock churches and setting his holy city up in the same design and layout as that of Jerusalem, the King aimed to make his capital city a spiritual homeland.
The churches of Lalibela are on the list of UNESCO world heritage sites, with 11 of the churches qualifying. When you buy an entrance ticket, you can then tour all 11 of the churches. Many of them are connected and in there are three main clusters of churches. The first and ultimately most important of the churches in Lalibela (and show first in this video) is the Church of Saint George. This is the best preserved and it stands all alone, carved into the giant red stone. When I was there, it was a good morning because there was a small ceremony going on, and lots of local Ethiopian pilgrims had come to pay respect and worship at the church. To get down to the bottom of the church there’s only a single entrance, through a trench leading to the bottom.
After walking around the Church of Saint George we proceeded on to the other churches of Lalibela including the House of Golgotha, House of Emanuel, and the House of the Saviour of the World, all of which were incredibly stunning. One of the most amazing aspects of the churches is that they are rock hewn, cut from single blocks of stone, and literally carved out by hand. So the builders had to begin from the roof, carving down until they had the shape of a church, and then start carving the church out to create a structure that could be used. After the construction of the rock churches of Lalibela, they were then decorated and painted with beautiful colors. Seeing the churches is such an impressive site!
If you have the chance to visit Ethiopia, definitely make a point to stop by the rock churches of Lalibela, especially if you enjoy either history or architecture. The attractions are still no overcrowded with foreign tourists, and mostly cater to local Ethiopian pilgrims.
Music in this video is Funky Tribe by Bob Bradley and Pete Lockett
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Whites better start confessing or go to hell 4 touching the people of god the Africans
Music was not right.. wish I was wealthy and could travel lol.. I'll never leave the state's. This was awesome to see and wish I could see it myself!
Yayayay ????
How can you afford to go to these countries
So beautiful,i wish i could go there
That is an extraordinary achievement, looks so beautiful!!!!
OMG I feel proud ?
My 8 year old daughter showed me this video that her teacher had them to watch. This is awesome. Thank you so very much for sharing this footage!
Hey Mark you doing a great job. thank you so much for visiting and introducing our cultural food, cofee and our historical places. God bless you!
why are you not working for the travel channel or something already your reports are always better and more authenthic
A modern day Miracle of GODS work, & the Christian community is silent about this modern day miracle..the prymaids are puny compaired to this…………………..
cool but it isn't fair that only woman can enter that area.i wonder how many years would a woman spend in jail if she enters?.i want to go in if i visit someday :p jk i'm too scared lol.
is it true that Ethiopia has the 10 commandments(from bible)?.i wish that i could touch it but i'll drop dead like the person from the bible lol.
Wow, great video, thanks for visiting my home state of Wollo!
I'm wondering if you stayed at Lal Hotel, mother-in-law owns it.
Now that was Fascinating!
Very interesting
Very lnteresting
That baozi looked crazy…wow! Thanks for answering my question, Mark, I'm honored.
I LOVE the idea of vlogging…anything from what you pack in the morning when you head out on an adventure to what your nightly routine is/what daily life is like for you. You have one of the best channels on YouTube! 🙂
great video
Just wondering….at 3:17 of the video, are those bullet holes on the wall??
It is great that you are making one video of the sights and one for the food…Thanks
My sister is orthodox and we believe Jesus is the Light of the World. I would love to visit these churches someday too. May God bless you and your wife Mark.
Amazing sites! Thanks for sharing Mark!
Wow the footage is well done! Like the music! Did you go or ever hear of the caves in India? This made me thank of them. That window you set in…looked high! More travel videos please. !! ????
Great video, I like that music too
Thanks Mark, I've been wanting to see more of these incredible churches.
a church in trenches? woo o_O
Is that chai being poured?
yea like others said wheres your food face : )
Hi Mark! How did the interior feel? Was it cool air? Was it still air? or could you feel a passive ventilation system working?
What a cool church Mark! I've really seen anything like that before – you captured it really well.
In between meals I sometimes do some sightseeing…
In #Ethiopia we visited the rock churches of #Lalibela . A truly incredible sight.
Enjoy the video!
Just wow wow
I should go there with Brother Derege, Tiggy Bird and Otto D!
Wow that's pretty cool
Will you ever visit Japan? 🙂
Impressive!
Awesome!!!
Brother Mark, you are celebrity ….
Pretty cool Mark! Kinda bummed I didn't get to see your yummy food face!
love it!!
الحمدلله على نعمة الاسلام
brilliant video, im waiting for the day i see you on TV doing travel documentaries or having a huge youtube following!
Yeyyy the clip release ! waiting for it !
at 0:28 the guy makes the mark wiens face when he's eaten nice food