Lalibela, a medieval settlement in the region of Wello, is the site of eleven rock-hewn churches believed to have been built in the late 12th or early 13th century by King Lalibela. It is reported that King Lalibela’s prodigious church building was his effort to recreate Jerusalem.

Muslims occupied Jerusalem at the time and pilgrimage to Jerusalem, for Ethiopian Christians was difficult. The city was initially known as Roha, but was later renamed after King Lalibela, the most outstanding of the Zagwes’.

Lalibela is a holy shrine city of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and it is the best place to experience the most colourful Ethiopian church festivals especially during Ethiopian Orthodox Christmas (Genna), and Epiphany (Timket).