Lalibela, exceptional Ethiopian Christian site at last mapped out

According to legend, God ordered King Lalibela (1220? – 1225) to build a new Jerusalem. Miraculously, with the help of angels, he managed to do this in less than 25 years. 
Several important questions are at present under discussion among specialists : Were these churches built at the same period? Were these monuments originally built as churches?  Was this site King Lalibela's capital and that of the Zagwe dynasty (XI^e – XII^e century)? What was the chronology of the successive excavations which caused these buildings to emerge ? 
For 50 years these churches have intrigued searchers, but it is the first time that a multidisciplinary team has been able to study these problems on the spot, thanks to the understanding and kindness of the Ethiopian ecclesiastical authorities. 

The team has studied the ensemble of the site and, among other things, has mapped out the excavated material linked with the cutting out of these monolithic churches. These zones, until now unstudied, are potentially important as they are the only areas that can present a complete stratigraphy of the site, enabling the tracing of the history of Lalibela. The most recent discoveries have revealed an unexpected pre-Christian occupation.  Three great periods seem to follow one another: a first phase of troglodytic dwellings preceding the construction of a fortress before the transformation of the site into a religious complex still being used, such as we now know it. 

These researches will help to understand the creation of this exceptional site and to aid, in the making of decisions, those responsible for Ethiopian heritage, the running of the site and its touristic development.