Around the year 1200, King Gebre Mesqel Lalibela of the Zagwe dynasty of Ethiopia, according to tradition, set about creating a 'New Jerusalem' in the highlands of his kingdom, where pilgrimage to the Holy Land had become hard after the loss of Jerusalem to Saladin in 1187. Eleven churches were carved down into the volcanic tuff from the top, as huge monoliths freed from the surrounding rock, linked by trenches and tunnels. The cross-shaped Bete Giyorgis is the best known. Local tradition says that angels helped the workers by night. Lalibela remains a place of pilgrimage and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978.
Before and after
- c. 1200Construction of Rouen Cathedral
- 1200Birth of Albertus Magnus
- 12th centuryConstruction of Maiden Tower
- c. 1200sKilwa becomes a great Swahili trading city
- c. 1200sThe rock-hewn churches of Lalibela are carved
- 23 April 1200Death of Zhu Xi
- c. 1201Origins of Riga
- 13th centuryConstruction of Roskilde Cathedral
- 13th centuryConstruction of Nidaros Cathedral
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- 1469Origins of Sikhism
The era
This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes. You can also browse everything in the 12th century.