Lalibala by MCGRATH, Rosita - 1925

Ethiopia: Royal Geographical Society, 1925. Title: Lalibala. Author: McGRATH, Rosita Publisher: London: Edward Stanford, Royal Geographical Society, 1925. Item is in Original Condition, with Blue Wrappers - As Issued, Complete with All the Ads!!! Notes & Condition: In his compelling account of Lalibala (Lalibela), its stunning architecture, history and material culture, an enthusiastic McGrath draws on various primary sources - Castanhosa, chronicler of Don Christofero da Gama's expedition, an Arab chronicle translated by Basset, Achille Raffay, and other, to richly convey Lalibala'a atmosphere and history of rule. As well, he refers to data from the first of the European expeditions. Descriptions of the various courts include the ornate carvings, dates of reign, a thorough examination of the 'House of George' and a more cursory look at the other churches: Madane Alam, Holy Cross, Golgotha, Michael, Mary, the Virgins, Gabriel, Libanos, Marcos and Emmanuel. Numerous photographic plates show the former churches, castle, and a rock chamber entrance. [Lalibela, in northern Ethiopia, is famed for its monolithic rock-cut churches.] 8vo. 16 pages, plus a photographic plates for illustration. Original condition with blue wrappers, titles to front, and containing all the ads. This is a complete issue, seldom found in such good and original condition. Excerpt from the text: "The rock churches of Lalibala have been visited by few Western travellers, yet they rank, undoubtedly, among the wonders of the world, and the legends of their miraculous construction, and of the cures wrought by the little stream of Jordan which waters them, have made them throughout the ages a Mecca for African Christians..." End Excerpt. Lalibela, previously known as Roha, is named after the king. The word itself, which translates to mean 'the bees,' recognizes his sovereignty and the people of the region still recount the legend that explains why. Lalibela was born in Roha in the second half of the twelfth century, the youngest son of the royal line of the Zagwe dynasty, which then ruled over much of northern Ethiopia. Despite several elder brothers he was destined for greatness from his earliest days. Not long after his birth, his mother found a swarm of bees around his crib and recalled an old belief that the animal world foretold important futures. She cried out: - The bees know that this child will become king. But trials and tribulations followed. The ruling king feared for his throne and tried to have Lalibela murdered and persecutions continued for several years - culminating in a deadly potion that left the young prince in mortal sleep. During the three-day stupor, Lalibela was transported by angels to the first, second and third heavens where God told him not to worry but to return to Roha and build churches - the like of which the world had never seen before. God also told Lalibela how to design the churches, where to build them and how to decorate them. Once he was crowned, he gathered masons, carpenters, tools, set down a scale of wages and purchased the land needed for the building. The churches are said to have been built with great speed because angels continued the work at night. Many scoff at such apocryphal folklore. The Lalibela churches, however, silence the most cynical pedants. These towering edifices were hewn out of the solid, red volcanic tuff on which they stand. In consequence, they seem to be of superhuman creation - in scale, in workmanship and in concept. Close examination is required to appreciate the full extent of the achievement because, like medieval mysteries, much effort has been made to cloak their nature. Some lie almost completely hidden in deep trenches, while others stand in open quarried caves. A complex and bewildering labyrinth of tunnels and narrow passageways with offset crypts, grottoes and galleries connects them all - a cool, lichen- enshrouded, subterranean world, shaded and damp, silent but for the faint echoes of distant footfalls as priests and deacons go about their timeless business. . Very Good.