Lalibela, Ethiopia

Ethiopia, the cradle of civilozation, was the first african nation I visited and what an adventurous, educational and affordable trip this was!
After i spent 2 nights in the capital, Addis Ababa, i traveled to three ethiopian cites by plane. Affordable Flights to the cities were 30-45 mins apart from each other. My flights from Addis and accommodations in the 3 ancient cities of Axsum, Lalibela and Gondar, Ethiopia cost approximately $300. I spent two nights in Lalibela and what I saw there left an indelible mark on my brain.

Lalibela is located in the northern Amhara region of Ethiopia and is known for its 12th to 13th century monolithic rock churches which are pilgrimage sites for Coptic Christians in Ethiopia as well as a handful of knowledge-thirsty tourists like myself.
It has been said, “in the 12th century, the Christian King Lalibela ordered the building of a second Jerusalem on Ethiopian soil when the original was captured in a 1187 AD raid by a Muslim faction. The result of his vision is 11 interconnected churches carved into the rose-gold mountain rocks and dug into the ground by hand—an extraordinary feat with or without the angels that, legend has it, lent a hand. These churches are perfectly preserved today.” Vogue Magazine
I saw the 11 churches in Lalibela and they are magnificent structures, a testimony to the ingenuity of Africans in the 11th centuries. Each church was carved from a single piece of rock to symbolize spirituality and humility. To enter the churches, visitors must remove their shoes so it was quite a site to see piles upon piles of shoes at the entrances of the churches.
The Church of Saint George, in the shape of a Greek Orthodox Cross, is located in the rocky hills of Lalibela, is the main attraction in Lalibela. It is a unique and cleverly crafted structure in the rock in the ground. To think medieval Ethiopian engineering and craftsmanship is responsible for such a structure is mind-blowing; and internet photos of this church do no justice to the structure as it is simply amazing!
Some people are billing Lalibela the Machu Picchu of Africa and I agree!
By the way, at nights there isn’t anything to do so bring along a great book and your iPod, but after dinner, after a day of climbing rocks, you will be tired and long for your bed since the days start early in Lalibela. When I left Lalibela my thoughts were: This is Africa; a cultural and historical haven! I urge everyone to visit this site to see the capabilities of medieval Africans.