Foolhardy churches that inspire
BY REHANA ROSSOUW
WE TRIED not to stare at the Ethiopian embassy official who processed our visa applications, but it was impossible not to ask questions about her face. Her forehead, cheeks and neck were garlanded in tattooed blue crosses. At a monastery on Lake Tana, a female monk displayed the same markings. She explained that it was a public display of her faith; her tattoos exhibited several versions of Coptic crosses.
Considering that the country is home to nine United Nations World Heritage Sites, Ethiopia’s tourism industry is tiny. It is growing, though; there was one tour and travel agency 13 years ago and now there are 310. About 600,000 tourists visited Ethiopia in the last year.
The religious fervour is a huge attraction  from the foreigners who flock for pleasure and pilgrims and locals who fill churches and cathedrals for services and frequent religious festivals.
Two Ethiopian towns are renowned for their devotion – Lalibela and Harar both boast world heritage status. Harar has 99 mosques squeezed into one square kilometre and Lalibela has 12 churches hewn into volcanic rock.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Church is the second-oldest organised Christian community and claims 45-million adherents. For those who choose to drive, the journey to Lalibela can’t be rushed. The roads from the surrounding towns are mostly gravel tracks, often plunging into river banks. They skip from mountain ridge to mountain ridge, above valleys green as cricket fields, edged with yellow and orange aloes.
Lalibela, circled by mountains and perched up high, is surprisingly small considering the punch it packs in international tourism circles. Many of its hotels are perched on clifftops and have great views of verdant valleys rolling away to the horizon.
The town’s 12 rock-hewn churches can all be visited in a one-day tour; they are tiny and close to each other. With a good guide  Lalibela’s are organised into a “Guides Association” and all trained  three days may just be enough. Read more
