Authority to take protective measures to preserve Lalibela

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Parts of the world famous rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, included in World Heritage List in 1978, have been endangered due to human and natural factors. The Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritages says preparations are underway to take the necessary protective measures in the near future.
Authority Director General Yonas Desta said a research on the parts of the endangered churches was undertaken via the support of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) and other international stakeholders. The financial cost needed to undertake the rehabilitative and protective task ahead was also obtained from various donors, he noted.
Yonas said both research and preparation activities have been carried out with due emphasis and caution to successfully finish off the operation,he added.
A report by the July 2013 issue of the monthly NewAfrican magazine indicated that almost all the churches are facing severe degradation from water damage and rain erosion. Drainage ditches have suffered from seismic activity, and most of them are in critical condition, the report said.
According to NewAfrican, many of the churches are under threat and the House of Emmanuel particularly is in imminent risk of collapse. Encroachment by new public and private constructions, which are situated in unsuitable proximity to the sacred sites, is posing another danger, the report noted. It also indicates that the murals, especially, at the entrance to Betemaryam(House of Mary), are severely damaged.
Lalibela, one of the famous tourist attraction sites of Ethiopia, is attracting hundreds of thousands visitors every year from across the world. Known as Ethiopia’s “New Jerusalem” by many writers and historians, Lalibela is one of the extraordinary places in the world with such a stunning architecture.