1. Ethiopia. Many historians agree that Ethiopia is one of the oldest countries in the world. While we know that human life has existed in Ethiopia for millions of years thanks to skeletal fragments uncovered, it's generally agreed that Ethiopia developed as a country in 980 BCE.
Early Christianity became the established church of the Ethiopian Axumite Kingdom under king Ezana in the 4th century when priesthood and the sacraments were brought for the first time through a Syrian Greek named Frumentius, known by the local population in Ethiopia as "Selama, Kesaté Birhan" ("Father of Peace,
Christianity in Ethiopia dates to the ancient Kingdom of Aksum, when the King Ezana first adopted the faith.
Lalibela (Ge'ez: ????), regnal name Gebre Meskel (Ge'ez: ??? ????, lit. He was given the name "Lalibela", meaning "the bees recognise his sovereignty" in Old Agaw, due to a swarm of bees said to have surrounded him at his birth, which his mother took as a sign of his future reign as Emperor of Ethiopia.
The 11 churches at Lalibela, Ethiopia, are regarded as one of the wonders of the world, excavated from solid rock with an immense underground maze of tunnels and passages. After the death of Lalibela his tomb and the city itself began to draw thousands of pilgrims.
Some believe they were carved by the Knights Templar, Christian crusaders who, during the 13th Century when the churches were created, were at the height of their power. King Lalibela built these churches around Ethiopia's own stretch of the Jordan River, his intent being to welcome Christians to a 'New Jerusalem'.
Pilgrims waiting to emerge from inside a tunnel at the House of St George, Lalibela. Nearly impossible to see at a distance, the impressive feat -- completed in 23 years -- provided a safe space for Christians to pray, hidden from Muslims invading from the North.
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
Lalibela, the best-known Zagwe emperor, ruled at the beginning of the 13th century and is known for building the monolithic rock-hewn churches at the Zagwe capital, which was later renamed for him.
There are many monolithic (rock-hewn) churches in Ethiopia, most famously eleven churches at Lalibela. Besides these, two main types of architecture are found — one basilican, the other native.
Compared with many African countries, Ethiopia is remarkably safe – most of the time. Serious or violent crime is rare; against travellers it's extremely rare. Outside the capital, the risk of petty crime drops still further.
The Rock-hewn Churches of Lalibela are located in the Western Ethiopian Highlands near the town of Lalibela, named after the late-12th and early-13th century King Gebre Mesqel Lalibela of the Zagwe Dynasty, who commissioned the massive building project of 11 rock-hewn churches to recreate the holy city of Jerusalem in
Rock Church is an evangelical megachurch located in San Diego, California, with five campuses located in Point Loma, San Marcos, El Cajon, San Ysidro, and City Heights. Miles McPherson, a former NFL player, has served as senior pastor since he founded the church in 2000.
1181–1221). The layout and names of the major buildings in Lalibela are widely accepted, especially by local clergy, to be a symbolic representation of Jerusalem. This has led some experts to date the current church forms to the years following the capture of Jerusalem in 1187 by the Muslim leader Saladin.
The distance between Addis Ababa and Lalibela is 336 km. The road distance is 637.5 km.
Pinpointing a date as to when Christianity emerged in Ethiopia is uncertain. The earliest and best known reference to the introduction of Christianity is in the New Testament (Acts 8:26-38) when Philip the Evangelist converted an Ethiopian court official in the 1st Century AD.
In a mountainous region in the heart of Ethiopia, some 645 km from Addis Ababa, eleven medieval monolithic churches were carved out of rock. Their building is attributed to King Lalibela who set out to construct in the 12th century a 'New Jerusalem', after Muslim conquests halted Christian pilgrimages to the holy Land.
In the video: walk around the 11 Lalibela churches, beginning with a morning mass at Bet Giyorgis, and following with Bet Medhane Alem, Bet Maryam, Bet Danaghel, Bet Gabriel-Rafael, Bet Emanuel, Bet Abba Libanos.
Lalibela
| lalibela ???? |
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| The Church of Saint George, one of many churches hewn into the rocky hills of Lalibela |
| lalibela Location in Ethiopia |
| Coordinates: 12°01′54″N 39°02′28″ECoordinates: 12°01′54″N 39°02′28″E |
| Country | Ethiopia |
The Beta Israel, meaning House of Israel, are a sect of Ethiopians who practice Judaism. They have also long been referred to as the Falasha, an Amharic word for exile, which has fallen out of favor because of its derogatory connotation.
In a mountainous region in the heart of Ethiopia, some 645 km from Addis Ababa, eleven medieval monolithic churches were carved out of rock. Their building is attributed to King Lalibela who set out to construct in the 12th century a 'New Jerusalem', after Muslim conquests halted Christian pilgrimages to the holy Land.
In the video: walk around the 11 Lalibela churches, beginning with a morning mass at Bet Giyorgis, and following with Bet Medhane Alem, Bet Maryam, Bet Danaghel, Bet Gabriel-Rafael, Bet Emanuel, Bet Abba Libanos.
Tej & Other Alcoholic Drinks
One drink not to be missed is tej, a delicious – and sometimes pretty powerful – local 'wine' or mead made from honey and fermented using a local shrub known as gesho. Outside Addis Ababa, wine is usually only served in the restaurants of midrange hotels.Although Ethiopia was called "Abyssinia" for a long time (and still is in some languages), it was renamed Ethiopia around the 4th century by king Ezana as a new "christian" name for a kingdom he was converting.
The Kingdom of Aksum in present-day Ethiopia and Eritrea was one of the first Christian countries in the world, having officially adopted Christianity as the state religion in the 4th century. Ethiopia was the only region of Africa to survive the expansion of Islam as a Christian state.
Lalibela (Amharic: ????) is a town in Lasta Amhara Region, Ethiopia famous for its rock-cut monolithic churches. The whole of Lalibela is a large antiquity of the medieval and post-medieval civilization of Ethiopia. Lalibela is one of Ethiopia's holiest cities, second only to Axum, and a center of pilgrimage.
At the very end - Yemrehanna Kristos church, located in a natural cavern, 40 km from Lalibela, predating the Lalibela churches by a century. The Lalibela Rock Hewn churches are UNESCO World Heritage site.
