Lalibela, Ethiopia is named for an Ethiopian king who reigned from 1189 to 1229. Originally called Roha, the town was renamed in honor of King/Saint Gebre Mesqel Lalibela.

Christianity became established in Ethiopia during the 4th century AD, long before Europeans ever set foot in the country. King Lalibela is famous for building a “new Jerusalem” in the town that was later named after him, after Jerusalem itself was taken by a Muslim army led by Saladin in 1187. Depending on the source, King Lalibela is said to either have spent time in Jerusalem as a young man, before he ascended to the throne, or to have seen it in a vision.

As a result, many of the landmarks in the town of Lalibela are named after areas in Jerusalem.  King Lalibela also commissioned many stunning cross-shaped churches, carved directly from the ground out of solid rock. Today, these fantastic churches are the town’s main attraction, inspiring both pilgrims and tourists.

The largest of Lalibela’s stone churches is 40 feet high. To enter the churches, visitors walk down flights of carved stairs. The churches are decorated both outside and inside with relief carvings of crosses, biblical scenes and other symbols, including the swastika, which was originally an ancient symbol that could be another version of the Christian cross, a symbol of the sun, or a symbol of good luck, depending on the circumstances.

According to Environmental Graffiti, the grandeur of these churches inspired the old European myth of Prester John,  who supposedly ruled a mighty Christian kingdom somewhere in India or Africa.

Prester John was a myth, but these churches are real. To see the stone churches at Lalibela, you will need both a US passport and an Ethiopian visa.

Do yourself a favor and get an Ethiopian visa before you leave the US.  Supposedly, if you are arriving by air, you can get a visa at the airport, but the US Department of State advises against this because travelers who try to take advantage of this option are not infrequently turned away.

To apply for an Ethiopian visa, you will need the following documents:

• 1 visa application  form
• 1 passport photo
• A copy of your itinerary
• Your US passport

RushMyTravelVisa can walk you through the visa application process to help you avoid delays and problems caused by common mistakes.  Then, we will submit your visa application to the appropriate Ethiopian embassy or consulate for the fastest processing possible.

Apply for your Ethiopian visa today!

Tags: Ethiopia, Ethiopian visa

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 27th, 2009 at 3:56 pm and is filed under Destinations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.