Thomas Keller
Germany
Lalibela's most iconic church is carved 12 metres into the earth. At 5am, with white-robed priests chanting in ancient Ge'ez, it becomes something beyond architecture.
“The chanting began before the sun rose. By the time light touched the stone, I understood why people travel thousands of miles for this.”
Everyone visits Bet Giyorgis in the middle of the day, between buses, with a camera in one hand and a guidebook in the other. That is not the church. The church belongs to the thin blue hour between the last star and the first light, when the priests begin their prayers in a language older than most nations.
We arrived in darkness. There were maybe thirty pilgrims standing around the deep trench that surrounds the cross-shaped church, their white shawls barely visible in the gloom. Our guide stepped back and left us alone — the way a good guide always does at the important moment.
The trench, the water, the stone
Bet Giyorgis is cut 12 metres down into solid volcanic rock, and in the early light the walls turn from black to ochre to gold. The priests poured water from brass vessels, and the chanting echo came up out of the trench like the mountain itself was singing. I don't speak Ge'ez. I understood every word.
Tradition holds that King Lalibela built the churches in the 12th century with angelic assistance — the working day was split between men who built during the day and angels who continued through the night.
Practical notes for a dawn visit
- Arrive the evening before and sleep in Lalibela — do not bus in at dawn
- Ask your hotel to wake you at 4:15am; the walk is short but dark
- Leave the camera in your bag for the first hour — just stand there
- Dress respectfully: shoulders and knees covered
I sat on the edge of the rock-cut trench for two hours. My guide waited patiently the whole time, and when I finally stood up he simply nodded, as if he had always known how long I would need. That is the thing about Lalibela that no photograph can show you: it gives back exactly what you give it.
Before, During & After
Before
I had seen photos of Bet Giyorgis. I thought I understood what I was about to see.
During
There were maybe 30 pilgrims. Not a single tourist. The guide stepped back and left me alone.
After
I sat at the edge of the rock-cut trench for two hours. My guide waited patiently the whole time.
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