HISTORICAL CAPITAL CITIES OF ETHIOPIA

LALIBELA (c. 1150 - 1270)

Towards the end of the 7th century, the Axum empire had become week leading to it's replacement by the Zagwe dynasty which ruled from the 10th century to the mid 13th century. Lalibela (c.1185-1225) is the most well known king of the Zagwe Dynasty. He built the famous eleven rock-hewn churches in his capital city, Roha,

later renamed Lalibela after his death. Usually termed as the 8th world wonder and designated as world heritage site by UNESCO, Lalibela was the capital of Zagwe Dynasty. The eleven rock-hewn churches built by king Lalibela, are one of the most admired ancient architectures of the world. They were estimated to have been built in the 13th century and are still used as churches. All the eleven churches are interconnected by small passages and tunnels.

It is said to have taken about 40 years to build all the churches and an estimated number of 15,000 people were used during the construction.

BSU|ENGL 5170 | Arsi's Page

Copyright © Arsema Andargatchew 2002
arsemitty@hotmail.com | Last modified March 2002