Until a week ago I had never heard of Lalibela, a town in Ethiopia that contains approximately a dozen monolithic churches carved in the 12th and 13th centuries. I've read about places like Petra and Cappadocia, but haven't seen something quite like Lalibela where the the rock-hewn structures are carved down into the ground. From what I understand, the layout of the complex mimics a miniature Jerusalem. Though the Churches were built on a mountain ridge, due to an underground spring originating at the base of another mountain, engineers were able to channel the water source into wells by the churches.
