The Rock Churches of Lalibela
In the highlands of Ethiopia, eleven churches were carved straight down into solid rock. Tradition says angels worked on them at night.
What was reported
In the town of Lalibela in Ethiopia's highlands, eleven churches are carved directly out of the volcanic rock, cut downwards from ground level, so that their roofs are level with the earth around them. They have doors, windows, columns and passages, all carved from a single mass of stone.
Tradition credits King Lalibela, who reigned around 1200, with building them as a 'New Jerusalem', and says that angels continued the work at night while the builders slept.
Explanations offered
Archaeologists say they were carved by skilled stoneworkers using simple iron tools, probably over many decades, and some may have begun as other kinds of buildings. They are still active places of worship and pilgrimage, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- When
- Carved in the 12th and 13th centuries
- Where
- Lalibela, Amhara, Ethiopia
- Witnesses
- Pilgrims, priests and archaeologists
- Status
- Mostly explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.