Tigray Rock Hewn Churches

Tigray Rock Hewn Churches

Tigray, the north part of Ethiopia, pervades an area of 53,638 sqm. Endowed with picturesque land features, the region with altitude that varies from 600-2700 meters above sea level .it has a population that number about 3.6 million.

As the birthplace of Ethiopian civilizations, Tigray house many treasures of interest to historians and tourists who wish to learn more of its two to three-thousand-year-old past. Sites such as Yeha and Axum revels monuments attesting to very early engineering feats, architectural skills, and techniques. During its time as a major world power, the Axumite Empire maintained trade relations with Rome, Greece, Persia, and India and also as recently discovered, China. It reached the peak of its development in the first centuries of the Christian era. Then beginning in the 4th century, it was linked to the Coptic church of Alexandria Egypt. Due to its gifted nature of land the region has several clusters of rock Hewn churches, such as Wokro Cherkos, Abrah-Atsebaha, Atsbi Wonberta, Mikael Barka, Debreselam-Mikael, Mikael Imba, Mikael –Milhaizengi, Medhane Alem Adi Kesho, Gheralta cluster, and Maria Wokoro are some of the list mentioned rock-hewn churches of Tigray region

Rock-hewn Churches of Tigray

Tigray is recognized as the cradle of the ancient Ethiopian civilization. The Yeha temple and the Axumite monolithic steleas testify to this. Numerous archeological sites underline the long history of the region, where the first Christian state in the world was established in the fourth century. Thus the old churches of Tigray are the testimony to this history.The rock-hewn churches are a landmark achievement of church building in Ethiopia. Lalibela being the most famous, but so many others to be found in Tigray. Abreha Atsbeha is one of the outstanding rock hewn churches, found beautifully situated between Wukro and Hawzien. The spacious high barrel-shaped ceiling contains various artful ancient works of art.


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