Rock-hewn churches of Tigray, Gheralta Mt. and Ertale 8 Days

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Only two hours away from the Tigrayan capital of Mekele, you quickly develop a sense of the scale as you drive out of the city and into the expansive Gheralta landscape. There’s only one thing from here on: untouched, unending wilderness. Construction began on the churches in the fifth century, by one man, a nomadic priest by the name of Father Yemata. Seeking isolation from the world, Yemata scaled the lofty heights and began carving these solitary spiritual spaces over the reminder of his life. As word spread of his plight, more and more fellow aesthetics joined.

Following the handholds and footprints worn in by decades of erosion, and with the help of a local guide, scaling the sandstone cliffs is a relatively easy task, albeit quite vertigo inducing! After one last scramble up loose stones and crumbling boulders, the summit is within touching distance and with it, centuries’ long history distilled into a small, dark, cave. Skulls line the entrance to each of the churches, belonging to those who perished within these walls, long, long ago.

Abraha Atsbeha church