Lalibela, Ethiopian churches carved in the stone

On September 4, 2017September 4, 2017 By Dr. Y.In Great CivilizationsLeave a comment

The BBC recently published an article about Lalibela and its churches in Ethiopia, and I thought about reblogging the article I wrote about it many years ago. The article I wrote, “Lalibela, Ethiopian churches carved in the stone,” was one of the first posts on my blog. It talked about the bees being a central part of Lalibela’s churches; this article also helps to see the evolution of the blog, from the very beginning to now. It is sweet to realize that some of the stories on this blog caught our eyes before they caught those of the BBC: Ethiopia’s miraculous underground churches. Cheers!

Enjoy!

African Heritage

When I was younger, there was a cartoon on television in which they always mentioned the churches of Lalibela, and somehow I used to think that it was not actually real,… you know like these made-up places in cartoons! Isn’t it interesting that the name Lalibela always made me think of honey bees (abeille in french)… Imagine my surprise when I found out that it is said that at birth a swarm of bees descended on the baby king’s head, and his Mother named him Lalibela, meaning “the bees have recognized him as king!”

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Lake Tana: Lake of Ethiopian Emperors’ Remains

On May 11, 2011May 12, 2011 By Dr. Y.In Great CivilizationsLeave a comment

This week, I will be talking about the great civilization of the Solomonic era in Ethiopia and particularly Lake Tana. But what does a lake have to do with civilization? Well, lake Tana is Ethiopia’s largest lake and is also the source of the Blue Nile. There are several islands on the lake: the Portuguese missionary Manuel de Almeida in the 17^th century counted about 21 of which 8 had monasteries on them; today some count 45 of which 19 have monasteries dated from the 14^th and 17^th centuries on them. So what does it have to do with civilization?
Well, the sepulchers and remains of many emperors (14^th-17^thcenturies), treasures of the Ethiopian church, as well as ancient manuscripts are kept on some of the most isolated islands of Lake Tana (Ura Kidane Mehret, Narga Selassie, Kebran Gabriel, Daga Estifanos, Medhane Alem of Rema, Kota Maryam, Mertola Maryam, etc)! It is being said that Frumentius, who introduced Christianity to Ethiopia, is buried on Tana Cherqos. The body of Yekuno Amlak rests in the monastery of St. Stephen on Daga island. Emperors Dawit I, Zara Yaqob, Za Dengel and Fasilides, also lay on Daga island.

: Mural at Uda Kidane Mihret

Lake Tana was already known by Ptolemee in the 2^ndcentury BC, which he called Pseboe or ‘hollow swamps‘ (marais creux en francais). It was very important in the 14^th through the 17^th centuries, as it played a key role in maintaining the Christian faith, and the rise of the Solomonic dynasty and the Christian Abyssinian empire. During the Solomonic dynasty, building churches and monasteries was emphasized, just like building pyramids in Egypt was emphasized by pharaohs. Many crown jewels, treasures and precious manuscripts were stored on islands on Lake Tana. The oldest of these forty churches from the Solomonic era was built in the 14^thcentury. The architecture reflects its era: the use of round shapes in the building technique. Each monastery/church consists of three main rooms or areas: the inner sanctuary, the inner ambulatory, and the outer ambulatory. The outside walls of the sanctuary are covered with magnificent colorful paintings reflecting that era. Seven of these churches (and the most accessible) have been chosen by the UNESCO campaign for renovation.

Around the 16th century, lake Tana became an important trade center for travellers who were coming to the famous market of Bahir Dar by foot or tankwa (reed boats made out of papyrus). Lake Tana was an important stop linking the north to the south of Ethiopia.

To learn more, go to the UNESCO World Heritage’s website, as well as the Selamta website whose emphasis is on Ethiopia’s lakes, Ethiopia travel, and check out pictures of the lake and other places in Ethiopia. Enjoy this great video… of a lake full of ancient treasures!

Lalibela, Ethiopian churches carved in the stone

On September 13, 2009February 9, 2012 By Dr. Y.In Great Civilizations3 Comments

Lalibela, Bete Medhane Alem church — Lalibela, Bet Gebriel Rafael church

Carved straight from red volcanic stone, and actually from a single stone, Lalibela is the place of pilgrimage of thousands of christians every year, and is one of Ethiopia’s holiest places. It was intended to be the New Jerusalem, in response to the capture of Jerusalem by Muslims. The architecture of Lalibela was revealed to King Gebrel Mesqel Lalibela one night in his dreams (he is said to have seen Jerusalem in his dreams) by God; he was instructed to build churches never seen before. Lalibela is actually made up of 11 medieval churches rock-hewn. Many of its names come from Jerusalem, like the Yordannos (Jordan) river, the church of Mary, etc. The most well-known is the Church of Saint George (or Bet Giyorgis in Amharic) which was probably the last one built around the 13th century and has the shape of a cross and has been referred by some as the 8th wonder of the world. It is about 30 m deep, and is simply stunningly beautiful! Talk about a church built on stone!

Lalibela is now regarded as one of the greatest Ethiopian architectural wonders and is ranked the eighth most incredible historical site in the world by UNESCO. It entered the UNESCO world heritage in 1978. Ethiopians themselves love to tour their own country and treasures, and about 1/3 of the tourists at popular Ethiopian sites are Ethiopians.

Check it out on the UNESCO website (http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/18/), Ethiopia Travel (http://www.ethiopiatravel.com/Lalibela_eng.htm), and http://www.selamta.net/lalibela.htm

Also check out youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAYaEbdriwc

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