Lalibela

Formerly the capital city of the Zagwe Dynasty under the name of Roha, Lalibela was renamed in honor of king Lalibela a notable king of the medieval dynasty. Legend has it that the King received his name when his mother saw him surrounded by a dense swarm of bees in his cradle and prophetically named him ‘Lalibela’ or the ‘bees recognize his sovereignty.’

Lalibela undertook the construction of the churches soon after he was crowned king. According to the legend the construction of the amazing rock hewn churches had angelic help.

The 11 churches at Lalibela are found a short distance away from the town on the South and North sides of a stream known as the Jordan River. It takes one full day to explore the churches which are grouped in to three but for people having more time spending two nights is wise to explore the churches in detail and also include the surrounding churches.