Lalibela and Aksum: Ethiopia's UNESCO Sites and What They Tell

Lalibela and Aksum are two of Ethiopia's best-known historic sites, both inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Lalibela, in the north of the country, is famous for its monolithic churches cut into the rock. Aksum, further north still, was the capital of an ancient kingdom, and monumental stelae still stand there. Together they tell a very old Christian and literate history, which you can still find today in the language, the food and the coffee.

Lalibela: churches carved from stone

Lalibela holds eleven churches, cut directly into volcanic rock: they were not built by raising walls but by excavating the stone from the top down until whole buildings were freed, with their columns, windows and roofs. Tradition attributes them to King Lalibela, of the Zagwe dynasty, in the twelfth or thirteenth century, and they reflect the ambition of creating a "new Jerusalem" for believers who could no longer make the pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

One of the best known, Bete Giyorgis, the church of Saint George, is cross-shaped and sits sunk in a pit. The churches are linked by trenches and underground passages. They remain active places of worship: people pray and sing there, and religious feasts, such as Genna, the Ethiopian Christmas, draw pilgrims. Lalibela was among the first sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, in 1978.

Aksum: a kingdom, a script, stelae

Aksum is of a different nature. It is the city that gave its name to a powerful kingdom of antiquity, oriented toward trade, in contact with the Mediterranean world, the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. That kingdom minted its own coins, a notable fact for the period, and developed a script, Ge'ez, ancestor of the alphabet still used in Ethiopia. See the Geez script explained.

Today you can see monumental stone stelae standing in a field, some very tall and carved to evoke building façades. They are generally associated with tombs. The site, inscribed by UNESCO in 1980, also includes remains of palaces and ancient tombs.

Aksum also plays a central role in the country's religious history. Ethiopia is among the oldest Christian regions in the world, and tradition places that adoption in Aksum in the fourth century. The church of Our Lady Mary of Zion is a pilgrimage place there, and Ethiopian tradition associates it with the Ark of the Covenant, which is a matter of faith and tradition, not of historical verification.

What they tell about Ethiopia

The two sites are not from the same period, but together they say a few essential things.

• A long continuity. Ethiopia has one of the oldest histories of statehood and writing in Africa, which partly explains its attachment to its traditions.
• An ancient faith. Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity still shapes the calendar, the feasts and the food: the vegan fasting dishes are its direct legacy. See Ethiopian fasting dishes.
• A capacity to build with little. The carved stone of Lalibela and the stelae of Aksum testify to builders' skill and vision.
• An openness to the world. Aksum's trade, pilgrimages, exchanges with other regions: Ethiopia was never isolated.

It is also wise to stay cautious: much of what is told about these sites rests on tradition, and historians debate several points, such as precise dates. When a claim is a legend, it is better to say so.

Why talk about it in Dakar, over coffee

You may wonder what Lalibela and Aksum are doing in the news of a house in Point E. The answer comes in two ideas.

The first is that you discover a country through its places as much as through its food. Ge'eza wants to be a hub between Ethiopian and Senegalese civilisations, "a bridge between two Africas". For visitors who have never travelled to Ethiopia, talking about Lalibela or Aksum gives depth to what they taste: injera, coffee, the calendar, the feasts.

The second is that many travellers want to go. A conversation about an itinerary in northern Ethiopia often starts around a table, over coffee. Lalibela and Aksum are among the stops most often mentioned.

From the site to the cup

The link with what is served at Ge'eza is more direct than you might think.

• Coffee. Its legend has coffee born in Ethiopia, and the ceremony makes its preparation a ritual of hospitality. See origins of coffee in Ethiopia.
• Injera and fasting. Fasting dishes, such as Shiro or Misir, belong to the Orthodox tradition that also built the churches of Lalibela.
• Writing. The Amharic names on the menu, such as "በያይነቱ" for beyaynetu, are written in the script descended from that of Aksum.
• The name of the house. "Ge'eza" means "home" in Ge'ez, the ancient language of Aksum.

Continuing the discovery at Ge'eza

The house is open Tuesday to Sunday, 8am to 10pm, at 656 avenue Birago Diop, Point E. You can have an Ethiopian lunch: beyaynetu from 7,000 F for one person, meat dishes prepared with kibbeh, a macchiato at 2,500 F or the coffee ceremony at 5,000 F per person, about 45 minutes. The ceremony is best booked 24 hours ahead, especially for a group. You can book online or write on WhatsApp at +221 78 660 07 07.