Churches of Lalibela

In the highlands of northern Ethiopia, eleven churches were carved out of solid volcanic rock, cut downwards from ground level, around the reign of King Gebre Mesqel Lalibela in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries.

Conceived as a "New Jerusalem", the complex is linked by trenches, tunnels and passages. The cross-shaped Church of St George, Bete Giyorgis, is the most photographed.

Lalibela remains an active place of Ethiopian Orthodox worship and pilgrimage, especially at Genna (Ethiopian Christmas). It was among the first sites inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List, in 1978.