Lalibela
The stange isolated town of Lalibela set high in the mountains of Lasta is famed for its rock-hewn churches, and is arguably the one place in Ethiopia that no tourist should miss. Known as Roha until the recent times, Laibela was the capital of the Zagwe Dynasty, which ruled over Ethiopia from the 10th century to the mid 13th century, and its modern name derives from that of the most famous of the Zagew rulers the 12th century king Laibela. According to the local legend, Lalilbela was born the brother of the incumbent king. As a young child he was covered by swarm bees, which his mother took as a sign that he would one be a king himself. (One reported translation of Lalibela is ‘the bees recognize his sovereignty ‘which isn’t at all bad for four syllables; another more ordinary and succinct translation is miracle). The king was none too pleased at this prophecy, and eventually tried to poison his younger brother, but instead of killing him he cast him into a deep sleep that endured for three days. Even before you visit the churches, Lalibela is strikingly singular town. The setting alone is glorious perched at an altitude of 2630m, among while craggy mountains and vast rocky escarpment, there is a stark cathedral like grandeur to Lalibela that recall the Darkensberg Mountains of South Africa and Lesotho. The houses of Lalibela are of a design unlike anywhere else in Ethiopia, to storey circular stone constructs that huddle in an amorphous mass over the steep slopes on which the town is built.