ETHIOPIA – THE SOLID ROCK HAND CARVED CHURCHES OF LALIBELA

One can’t help but notice with any flight in Ethiopia, the inconsistent security measures that are applied to passengers.  One airport hardly looks at your baggage going through the x-ray crawler if you are European or American.  Others take everything out of your bag, trash it, and expect you to put it back together.  This was experienced flying from Gondar to Lalibela.

Taken were my camera monopole, duct tape and small sections of rope (clothesline).  Luckily they were able to be transferred to my single check-in bag, since the Ethiopian Air system is slow to move these items out to the tarmac or the plane.  Large bottles of water were strangely allowed to pass through carry on.

Virtually every site in Ethiopia is extolled at length by locals.  No detail is too insignificant to feed you.  Every site, every rock, every turn of a river long since dried up is Holy to the Ethiopes.  They claim that whatever is found in Jerusalem, is found in Lalibela (and vice versa).  Lalibela comes close to living up to their hype, if for no other reason than the churches there are hewn by hand from solid rock and are nearly unique among the world’s list of magical places to visit.

The city was the second capitol of Ethiopia in the 12^th century.  There was much pressure from Sufi and Islamic warriors to compress the Ethiopian nation, north to south.  Often, Christian churches were destroyed in the process (or co-opted as in Spain and turned into mosques).  It was decided monolithic churches carved out of solid rock would be very difficult to destroy and would survive as a legacy no matter the fortunes of war.

Thus began an attempt in 1158 to create a “Second Jerusalem” in this overwhelmingly Christian nation, that saw 11 churches painstakingly crafted from solid rock.  It took 40,000 workers 23 years to complete all of these unique spiritual centers.  They were started with the roof at ground level, and channel carved (top decoration and then along the sides, until reaching their foundation levels well below ground).  At this time the rough exterior shape was complete and the interior of each church was then carved bottom up –  ground floor to ceiling.

The work was largely done without metal tools, utilizing granite drills and hammer pieces that were necessarily plentiful and harder than the basalt foundations from which they were carved.  Axes, hammers and chisels were used in the construction.  The buildings were sheltered in modern times as part of a Unesco World Heritage Designated Site attempt at preservation.

The Italians were given the responsibility for massive canvas covers over steel pole frames to protect these churches against the elements.  For some reason, the Italians came up short.  Instead of extending the steel framing well beyond the carved out roof and sides of each church, they stopped short and merely sank large, ugly tinker-toy type legs into the carved out side channels of each masterpiece.  The net result is a sullied appearance that detracts from the magnificence of the carving and artwork extent in each church.

St. George (Bete Giyorgis) is the famous standard bearer for the Lalibela masterpieces.  It was carved in an attempt to replicate Noah’s Ark.  It is three stories high, has deep side channels on all four sides extending vertically up to 15 meters, and has a free-standing cruciform shaped roof.  The largest church – symbolizing the “earthly Jerusalem” – is 11.5 meters high, 33.5 meters long, and 22.5 meters wide.

Also of note in Lalibela, is the outstanding Scottish/Ethiopian Restaurant of Ben Abeba.  It commands a 270 to 360 degree territorial view of Lalibela and its distinct elevated countryside.  The concrete and steel central structure where the kitchen and bar preside looks like a lopsided teapot from a distance.

It is surrounded by eating platforms appearing to be giant lily pads, attached at various levels by interconnected spiraling concrete walkways.  The food is plentiful and tasty (especially the fish and the salads) but the real star here is the architecture and view.  For anybody passing through Lalibela, this dining establishment is a “can’t miss” necessity.

Also visited while in Lalibela for two days, was the 9^th Century Yemerhan Kristos palace and monastery.  Though located 42 kilometers outside Lalibela on difficult rutted roads (this jarring travel experience is called “an African massage”), its natural and deeply recessed basalt grotto was turned into a fortified royal retreat.  According to legend, the temple was finished with stone imported from Jerusalem.

The site is notable for its approachable royal graveyard, and the mummified bodies of various priests who have served the complex over the years -- casually tossed into piles within easy touching distance as if neglected rag dolls awaiting rediscovery.

I first learned of a growing controversy taking place in Ethiopia while in Lalibela.  The Ethiopians started damming the Blue Nile River in the northwest part of the country in 2011 (expected finish date: 2019).  The Dam promises to be the largest in Africa, and the 8^th largest in the world.

Apparently Egypt is upset about potential flows that come to them from the south being minimized, and have threatened retaliatory action in the World Court.  The military option has not been taken off the table, either.  Both sides, it appears, are both very passionate about this issue and also very adamant about the correctness of their particular position re: water rights vis a vis storage, recreation and hydroelectricity rights.