Lalibela, Ethiopia

From series “Unbelievable Underground Mini-Cities”

7 out of 14 - Burlington, United Kingdom

8 out of 14 - Undergrounds of Naur, France

10 out of 14 - Underground Orvieto, Italy

11 out of 14 - Plzen Underground, Czech Republic

Year: 12 century.

An Ethiopian Lalibela became famous thanks to the wonderful underground churches. According to the historical data, this city was established in the 12th century. Its golden age was at the reign of the emperor Lalibela. In honor of whom the city has been named for about 800 years. At the disposal if this ruler, the building of underground churches had begun. The building had finished only in the 13th century.

On this territory were found eleven Christian churches that were built by human force. Huge temples were sculpted from the soft volcanic tuff. This area is very rich with this building material. The underground churches adore with its dimensions. The biggest is the Christ the Savior Cathedral. Its length is 33,7 meters and 23,7 meters width.

Notwithstanding that fact that these underground buildings couldn’t be called a city in a direct meaning, this place was full of life. Workers were sculpted domes and walls for future churches just about twenty-four hours. During the researching works there were found a lot of outstanding artefacts. One of them were various ritual tools that were used during the church service. Every church has its own peculiarities. During the walk tourists will hear a lot of wonderful stories.

Next - Underground Orvieto

Undergrounds of Naur, France

Underground Orvieto, Italy

Back to the start “Unbelievable Underground Mini-Cities”

Lalibela - interactive map

Useful staff nearby

ATM bankomat: 'Dashen Bank' located in 0.4 km (

check the route on the map).

Car rental office: 'Lalibela Eco Trekking Tours - Ethiopia' is located in 0.41 km (

on the map).

Supermarket: 'Ethio Supermarket' in 0.9 km

Cafe/restaurant: 'Blue Nile Hotel' in 0.3 km

Natural Zen. 15 Sparsely Populated Places for Solitude with Wildlife

Killers of fishing. The Most Impressive Dams on Earth

Cities nearby

» Guide to Lalibela

» Hotels in Lalibela

» Car rent in Lalibela

Nearest unique sightseeing spots to visit

279 km - Dallol

From the series 'The Most Extreme Settlements on the Planet'

Located in the village of Ethiopia Dallol is definitely considered one of the most extreme on the planet. That's the hottest place in the world, which you can reach only using caravan routes. The exact number of inhabitants of the settlement is unknown. The most …

280 km - Danakil Depression

From the series 'Amazing Land Areas Below the Sea Level'

Danakil Valley, which is located in Ethiopia, is also often referred to as 'Danakil Desert'. The valley is located in the unique spot - on the border of three large tectonic plates: the African, the Indian and the Arabic. Danakil desert is considered to be the …

283 km - Danakil Desert

From the series 'Top 11 Dangerous Spots for Adrenaline-Seekers'

The Danakil Desert located in Ethiopia is incredibly popular among tourists, although it possesses threat. This desert is one of the hottest and most lifeless in the world. That’s a huge volcanic wasteland, in the territory of which the land has melted underfoot. The …

356 km - Afar Depression

From the series 'Amazing Land Areas Below the Sea Level'

The tiny country Djibouti, whose almost entire territory is the desert, is a site of the Afar Valley - the second-lowest valley on Earth. It is located 155 meters below sea level and has the variable depth that depends on the shore line of Lake Assal. The shores of the …

453 km - Harer

From the series 'The Last City-Fortresses Survived to This Day'

The old city Harer is situated in the western part of Ethiopia. It is known worldwide thanks to its unique historical sightseeing. Today it is the main Islamic city of the country. More than that it is one of the largest commercial centres. The historical city, located …

599 km - Al-Hajjarah

From the series 'Amazing Cities on the Rocks'

The fortress town of Al Hajjarah is one of the main historical attractions in Yemen. It owes much of its fame and popularity to its relative accessibility. It is extremely difficult to reach many other mountainous areas of the country. Active stone mining was carried …

Top destination around Lalibela - Lalibela

Do you want to see the most unusual building of the past centuries? In Lalibela, travelers can visit the Church of Saint George, which unusual look has been impressing generations of visitors. Since ancient times, this saint has been the patron of the city. That is why it was particularly important to make the church dedicated to Saint George unique and original. No mistakes were possible here. The result is truly mesmerizing – the Church of Saint George is not only an unusual and one-of-a-kind shrine but also the most beautiful building in the whole of Ethiopia. The church is located at some distance from the central part of Lalibela. It has the shape of a giant cross that is dug in the ground.

According to a local legend, King Lalibela once saw God in his dream. God gave an important message to the king. He told him to carve churches in the rocks and make a new Jerusalem on the African continent. When the king woke up, he immediately made an order to start building a church. It took local people twenty-five years to finish the building. The unique shrine is still in great condition and remains open for visitors.
Read further...

OrangeSmile.com - online travel reservation expert providing reliable car rental and hotel booking services. We feature more than 25.000 destinations with 12.000 rental offices and 200.000 hotels worldwide.

Secure Server

OrangeSmile B.V. - Hotel Booking Worldwide

Head office: Weegschaalstraat 3 Eindhoven, 5632 CW Netherlands

+31 40 40 150 44