Lalibela was a king of Ethiopia's Zagwe dynasty, traditionally dated to the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries, remembered chiefly as the figure credited with commissioning the eleven monolithic churches carved directly out of solid volcanic rock in the town that today bears his name. According to Ethiopian Orthodox tradition, he intended the site as a new Jerusalem for pilgrims unable to travel to the Holy Land following its capture by Muslim forces. The rock-hewn churches of Lalibela remain an active pilgrimage and worship site for Ethiopian Orthodox Christians and are recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, standing as one of the most significant works of religious architecture in African history.
Facts
Partially Attested
Birth YearYear given in the Gadla Lalibela hagiography for his mother's flight to Roha to give birth; treated as an approximate birth year, not a separately recorded birth date. Death YearConventional reign-end year; sources describe a disputed abdication and return late in the reign (Taddesse Tamrat), and no separately dated death survives. RoleKing of the Zagwe dynasty, reigning from 1181 to 1221; credited as patron of the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela and venerated as a saint by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. 1 BirthplaceRoha (later renamed Lalibela), Lasta, Ethiopia 1 Role
Role (category) Connections
In Era
Source Wikipedia: Gebre Meskel Lalibela
In the Other Atlases
- Also in Geography Atlas: Africa, originated there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Ethiopia, originated there.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Gebre Meskel Lalibela
WikipediaLead section, sentence 1
was a king of the Zagwe dynasty, reigning from 1181 to 1221.
Lead section, sentence 1 (regnal name)
regnal name Gebre Meskel
Biography section, paragraph 1
In 1162 Jan Seyoum was angered when Kirwerna became pregnant by him, and she fled to the town of Roha to give birth.
Lead section, sentence 1 (reign end)
was a king of the Zagwe dynasty, reigning from 1181 to 1221.
Lalibela: Gender
Lalibela was a king of Ethiopia's Zagwe dynasty, traditionally dated to the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries, remembered chiefly as the figure credited with commissioning the eleven monolithic churches carved directly out of solid volcanic rock in the town that today bears his name.
In Era: The Post-Classical and Medieval Period, lead paragraph, lifespan
Infobox: born 1162; died 1221
View the Source Wikidata: Lalibela
Wikidata Q471332, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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