The steady chant of Orthodox morning prayer coming through the open window, broken by the sound of a crowing rooster. Quite a gentle way to begin a day in Axum, the ancient capital of Ethiopia. The eastern glow through the dusty haze seems sleepy too. Until suddenly I’m remembering an old song my father would sing, The Road to Mandalay: “where the dawn comes up like thunder!” That is how the sun breaks over the horizon. Sudden. Jarring. Being here is like being half in this world and half in an ancient time. At moments it is hard to separate the two.
Young Ethiopian girl
Learning the 3000 year history of northern Ethiopia is a constant balance of trying to distinguish facts from the beliefs and traditions that are deeply ingrained in the culture, the Orthodox religion and daily life. The city of Axum was the first capital in a powerful empire in 1st century BC, with fertile productive land and trading routes stretching to India, Istanbul and Sri Lanka. Coins and artifacts recovered from the era show a belief in the sun and moon. But in the early 4th century, the country became one of the first to adopt Christianity. Coins now had crosses rather than images of the moon. Giant monoliths/stelae were constructed to mark underground tombs of the 4th century and have been identified as the largest monoliths in the world.
1 of 2
Large monoliths from 4th century
2 of 2
Tomb
I found the stonework and tight precise fitting, both in Axum and later in Lalibela, amazing given that it predates Machu Picchu by 1000 years!! They even had a yardstick of sorts to measure the stones. Occasionally, stones are held together with fitted metal brackets.
Metal brackets holding stones
But long before (maybe 9c. BC), so the story goes, the Queen of Sheba, who ruled over Ethiopia, heard of a successful and powerful King Solomon in Israel. She traveled from Ethiopia, perhaps on a trading mission. Upon her return, nine months later, she birthed a son. (Guess it was a successful journey?!) Later, as a grown young man, this son decides he would like to meet his father. After the visit, the son asks his father, can I please have just a thread of the cloth that is covering the Arc of the Covenant. Solomon assigns 12,000 Israelites to accompany his son on the journey back to Ethiopia. Apparently one of them knew the importance of the covenant and chose to bring it with them. And so it (supposedly) remains today, in a church in Axum, never seen but protected by monks, serving as much of the basis for the very strong and active Orthodox religion, beliefs, practices and traditions.
Chapel with the Ark of the Covenant in Axum
To jump to recent history, these Israelites who came to Ethiopia, over the centuries, married into the local community. Hence, Black Jews. In 1991, persecuted by the then oppressive regime, 14,000 Black Jews were airlifted out of Ethiopia in 36 hours by the Israeli Air Force.
When the Arabs cut off Axum’s routes to the Red Sea in the 5th century, fortunes turned. The land was over-farmed, the Axum kings lost their dominance and the center of power moved south to Lalibella in the 10th century, which, over time, was controlled by numerous kings.
Lalibela is one of those places where you keep taking pictures and more pictures, trying to capture the mass, the intricacy, the stories. Like Axum, it is a UNESCO heritage site. Massive is an understatement. Lalibela is a series of 10-15 churches, each excavated from the surrounding volcanic rock. Thus, they are below the surface of the surrounding hillside. Most, like this one, are monolithic, although some are semi-monolithic and some are simply caves.
1 of 2
Chapel of St George in Lalibela
2 of 2
Chapel of St George from below
Begun by King Lalibela and constructed over the 12th and 13th centuries (according to historians), the layout of the churches are believed to represent Jerusalem. There is even a river called the River Jordan. Apparently, King Lalibela wanted to spare Ethiopians the danger and risks of the long pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Today, Lalibela is a major pilgrimage site for Ethiopian Orthodox. Many believe the complex was completed in 23 years; the devout believe it was done in a far shorter time by angels. Whatever. Whoever. It is an incredible accomplishment and kudos to King Lalibela for the idea!
Woman coming down steps as she leaves church
St. George, the last church built, reflects engineering learning: thicker roof and drainage. As such, it is still in excellent condition. In an effort to protect some of the earlier constructed churches, UNESCO has erected huge ugly structures which, after urging by Ethiopians, are apparently being reconstructed.
1 of 3
UNESCO protective structure
2 of 3
Deteriorating church wall
3 of 3
Largest church at Lalibela
Niches are carved into the perimeter walls. Originally they were used to bury the dead. Today, pilgrims may sleep in them or light candles for praying.
Burial niches
These are active churches. Masses are said; people come to worship...to hold funerals.
1 of 4
Funeral
2 of 4
Prayer
3 of 4
Prayer
4 of 4
Young girl in Lalibela
Many of the churches are connected by narrow paths or alleys cut into the rock and some by tunnels. One tunnel was about 100 yards, pitch black, that our guide led us through....one hand above our head to detect any drop in the ceiling and another hand on the shoulder of the person in front of us. Believe me. Those 100 yards seemed like a mile.
1 of 6
Stone passageway
2 of 6
Stone passageway
3 of 6
Stone passageway
4 of 6
Stone passageway
5 of 6
Stone passageway
6 of 6
Stone passageway
As you can tell, I was fascinated with these little passages.It is important to understand that all of this was one massive rock. Like creating sculpture, stone was cut away to create the structure of the church and all the tunnels. Even more amazing is the INTERNAL carving, all from the same giant mass. Archways. Alcoves. Chapels. Window. Crosses. Pillars. Stone was cutaway INSIDE the mass to create all this detail. There were eight and I estimated each to be 4 x 4.
1 of 3
Interior carvings
2 of 3
Interior carvings
3 of 3
Interior pillar - one of 8 measuring about 4’x4’
There are priests or monks in each church to protect and look after it. The priests hold large processional crosses. This cross design is the design of the city of Axum.
1 of 4
Priest inside church in Lalibela
2 of 4
Priest inside church in Lalibela
3 of 4
Monk at Lalibela
4 of 4
Monk at Lalibela
There are many paintings on the ceilings and walls, all telling a story.
1 of 2
Wall painting depicting the cock that crowed 3 times signaling Peter’s denial of Christ
2 of 2
Wall painting of red and black bulls representing good and evil
I was not able to grasp the power of these buildings in photographs. I don’t know how to show the unfathomable mass, the labor and skill and engineering required to create these—1000 years ago! But their history and their symbolism continues to draw worshippers.
1 of 2
Woman worshipper in Lalibela
2 of 2
Young Ethiopian boy
Eager to head north now into the cooler UNESCO heritage Simien mountains and the highest lodge in Africa, visiting small villages and seeing the famous Gelada baboon, a species run by women!