Lalibela: The Rock-Hewn Churches
In the 12th century, King Lalibela of the Zagwe dynasty was visited by a vision from God. In the vision, he was taken to heaven and shown magnificent churches built by angels. When he returned to earth, God commanded him to build a New Jerusalem in the rocky mountains of Ethiopia. King Lalibela gathered thousands of workers and began carving eleven churches directly from solid volcanic rock — each church a single monolith hewn from the mountain, carved from the top down. Angels worked alongside the humans at night, doing twice as much as the day crews. The churches were connected by a maze of