You might say it is Petra-fied. Then again, you might not.

Around 1200AD, King Lalibela, one of the last kings of the Zagwe dynasty that ruled in Northern Ethiopia for 200 years, created a number of remarkable rock churches which remain to this day as functional places of worship.

They also constitute symbols of paramount religious, cultural and architectural significance to the people of Ethiopia.
Of the basically three types of these rock churches, one is unique. This is the rock-hewn monolithic church, which, while imitating a built-up structure, is actually cut in one piece from the rock and separated from it by a surrounding trench.

The best-known of the monolithic churches is Bet Giorgis (St George's Church) in the town of Lalibela. The only way to enter this building is through the carved-out passageway.

Given the national and international significance of this World Heritage site, in 2000, a project was recently initiated to undertake a photogrammetric documentation of Bet Giorgis - expected to produce a finely detailed and visually realistic digital model of the church and its immediate surroundings.