The 11 rock hewn churches are a unique complex built roughly 800 years ago (Image: Getty)
There’s a mysterious site in Africa that some say was built by angels.
Carved deep in a mountainous region of Ethiopia stand 11 churches, each cut from a huge block of rock some 800 years ago. While they might remind some of Jordan’s stunning Petra, the UNESCO World Heritage site was originally meant to become the “New Jerusalem”.
The Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela, nestled in the town of the same name, are visited by about 200,000 Ethiopian Christians every year.
While the Ethiopian Orthodox Church says they were built by angels, others report that King Lalibela of the Zagwe dynasty commissioned them in the 12th century after a trip to Jerusalem, to give Christianity a new home.
Made out of solid volcanic rock, the churches are 40 to 50 metres deep and connected to a labyrinth of tunnels with galleries and grottoes.
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This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a labyrinth of tunnels with galleries and grottoes (Image: Getty)
The site was declared a in 1978 and is also occasionally referred to as being the “Eighth Wonder of the World”.
The main cluster of 11 churches is divided in two groups with the northern group consisting of five churches and the eastern group consisting of another five, while Biet Gyorgis, the most famous, has its own isolated church.
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The Churches of Lalibela hold important religious significance for Ethiopian Orthodox Christians (Image: Getty)
The Churches of Lalibela hold important religious significance for Ethiopian Orthodox Christians and are home to a number of special ceremonies.
These include receiving pilgrims and large crowds during holidays including Christmas and Easter.
One review on TripAdvisor wrote of their experience saying: “Lalibela is a very beautiful rock hewn churches I have ever visited in my life.”
Another added: “An intriguing maze of caves and tunnels that dates back over a thousand years was worth visiting.”