Back to  Main Page | Queen Sheba | Mysteries |Herodotus | Churches Gen Info     updated Mar 2016 
     
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the Kingdom of Roha               A  Synopsis                       
     
 

 

 
 * Click above for details 
  and click here to see a Video Clip! 
 ST. George's Church with a shape of a cross. 

 

 
    Contents:
 
 1. Prince Lalibela, the name & the place
 2. History: Jerusalem and the Templars
 3. Queen of Sheba
 4. Moses an important person in History
 5. The 11 rock hewn Churches
 6. The connection with Chartres Cathedral 
      in France
 7. The connection with Germany:
     Parzival, an opera or a cryptogram?
 8. Books and Links; the source of this chapter
 
   * Click on any item above or any picture to go to
      the relevant Chapter

 

 

 

A hand made silver cross with a meaningful design typical for Lalibela
 
 
Chartres Cathedral south of Paris with its builders leaving puzzling sculptures in the front and the back porch entrances!
 
   Chapter 1 

 

 

 

 

    

1. Prince Lalibela, the name & place
 
 In this chapter you can read about Lalibela, the place and the people with a complete reference. Please see at the end of this chapter a list of books and sources we used to obtain all our information. 
 All you are about to read here is about Lalibela, a place originally called  'Kingdom of Roha' which was the base of the Zagwe dynasty between 1125 and 1415 AD. The name Lalibela was given later on to honor the King who make it famous! The king was named so by his mother as she show her baby in the cradle encircled by a swarm of bees without harming him... In the old days there was a believe that any one approached but not harmed by wild animals or insects for that matter, would be later in his life great!
 Prince Lalibela was brought up in a respectful and religious manner raising jealousness from his brother who wanted the throne for himself... Lalibela's brother prince Herbay tried to poison him and Lalibela's friends convinced him to travel away for a while... Prince Lalibela was deeply religious and started a monastic life. Around the year 1187 he travel to Jerusalem. It was the time of the 2d crusade and some French monks, later called  'the knights of the holy temple of Jerusalem', in short Templars were protecting Jerusalem. They were fighting monks protecting all Holy places and builder/architects at the same time! They have build the Dome as it survives until today and many other historical buildings. Theoderic,
a German monk visiting Jerusalem just before it fall under Salahedin army, commended ' The Templars skills are superb, they have rebuild most historical buildings with perfection!'
 
  
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 Inside ST. Golgotha Church in Lalibela, a sculpture on the granite rock reassembling the picture on the left! This I have copied from a French publication depicting the founder of the Templars!

Chapter 2

 

 

 
 
 * Click above for details 
  and click here to see a Video Clip! 
 ST. George's Church with a shape of a cross. We can clearly see the engraved double-cross on the roof, definitely a Knights Templar design! Click above in order to see a more detailed description with drawings! Also you can see another Knights Templar cross engraved in the inside ceiling of this Church!
 
2. History: Jerusalem and the Templars
 
 
 Well documented sources tell us that beyond the protection the Templars offered to travelers and visitors to the Holly Temple, they were looking for certain artifacts: the famous holy Grail and the Ark of the covenant! They excavated year after year underneath and around the Holy Temple but they have only found valuable scrolls! Showing their finds in France they have got recognition and financial support and at the same time new recruits! When Lalibela met the Templars they talked about life in Ethiopia and among other things prince Lalibela told them that during certain religious festivities they parade the original Ark of the covenant... (Please see the separate chapter about the Ark of the covenant) We don't know exactly how but most probably the Templars traveled to Ethiopia and restored Lalibela as King deposing his brother Herbay! There is no proof of what exactly happened but a long letter survived until today in the Vatican library that apparently Herbay (Lalibela's brother) with the pseudonym "Prester John" send to Pope Clement complaining about his brother and the 'treacherous French monks!' Most probably his spies did inform him about the possible forthcoming visit to Ethiopia... Another indication of Lalibelas presence in Jerusalem is that today we can still see the chapel  where the Ethiopian Orthodox priests were based! History tell us that when Salahedin invaded and captured Jerusalem with an ingenious trick, the Ethiopians requested to stay! Salahedin respected their plea and granted them the right to stay and take care of the Holy place... 
 
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 Priests performing a Holy mass inside ST. Emanuel Church

 Chapter 3

 

 

Old painting on goat skin depicting the story of Queen of Sheba meeting King Solomon

 

 
3.  Queen of Sheba
 
The story of Queen of Sheba and King Solomon is told in the Bible and has for sure brought a lot of controversy.  Reading the story told in the bible chapter  Kings 10.6-13
Reading in the Old Testament Kings 10.6  ...and the Queen of Sheba said to king Solomon "I have heard a report  about your  accomplishments and your wisdom ..."  "but now I have met you and see with my own eyes, I believe that is true and the wisdom and prosperity far surpass my expectations! The passage in the Bible continuous  "king Solomon gave Queen Sheba all what she desired..." The Kebra Negast, an old Ethiopian book suggests here that King Solomon fulfill her wish to have a sun with her...
Anyway in this chapter we find plenty details and one can only think that the visit of Queen of Sheba to meet King Solomon surely took place!
 Ethiopia is claiming homage of the Queen of Sheba and in its  culture she is called Maqeeba. Yemen also claims the same Queen and her name there was Bilquis! In Yemen except the great dam in Mareb there is not any archeological site or a significant palace to show evidence of any Queen residence...
 
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 Chapter 4

 

 

Inside a Monastery on an island in Lake Tana. Local legend has it that the Arc of  the covenant was kept here for centuries...

 

    

 
4.  From Old Testament:  Moses
 
Moses was a son of a Pharaoh and while he was studying he was taught by the high priests in the Ossiris temple hieroglyphics and secret sciences... Moses was definitely a high priest or in ancient Egyptian language called Ker-Heb !
At some time in his life and according to the Old Testament, Have a look at  Numbers 12-1  he was married to an Ethiopian!  ...and Aaron with his wife Miriam accused Moses "why you talk to us like this, has our Lord spoken through you only? Your wife is a Cushite woman anyway... (at that time meant Ethiopian) "
 As we also know Moses after he killed an officer from his father's guard he went hiding for almost 40 years... Many scholars believe  that he find a comfortable refuge in Ethiopia! There was a known trade route from Egypt through the ancient time 'Meroe' to lake Tana in Ethiopia 
Moses had a tremendous knowledge to build the Arc of the covenant and only proves his high technological skills which they were not understood until today! The Arc was not just a religious carrier of the stone tablets; it was a powerful tool to assist him in order to control the Israelites! In many chapters of the Old Testament it averted many revolts as well as giving a genuine encouragement to fight the enemies!
 
 
 
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Chapter 5

 

 
* Click above 
ST. Gabriel, see a detailed description of the first group of Churches with drawings!

 

 

  
* Click above 
ST. Emanuel, see a detailed description of the second group
of Churches with drawings!
 
 
5. The 11 rock hewn Churches in Lalibela
 
In Lalibela there are 11 rock hewn Churches build with a proven finess and with an architect's  expertise! Our guess is that when the Templars arrived there and saw the Ark of the covenant they did respond to king Lalibela's request to build these marvelous Churches! 
Bianchi and Bariviera, two Italian architects visiting Lalibela in 1936 and mapped the whole area!  Their observation was:
“After careful study we discover that the Churches in a group are set on certain levels, in order to carry off the heavy summer rains. All trenches serve as a walking path and a drainage system! Churches whose placing conforms to the slope of the terrain, then the ridge of the roof, the gutter edges and the base of the plinth are slanted in line with it! Whoever experience the 'rainy season’ in the Ethiopian highlands will appreciate the great skill shown by these early architects and builders to arrange that a 100% drainage was established !”
Bianchi and Bariviera were the first architects who studied the buildings and made professional drawings of every group and every Church! These Italian architects realized that the builders must have had exceptional building skills baring in mind that all Churches were build within 10 years starting at Lalibela’s return from exile around 1187!
I have visited Lalibela myself four times and each time I was speechless looking at these *monolithic structures!
All visitors asking themselves how is it possible to maintain such an accuracy when none of the buildings are formed by cement but instead people carved the granite rocks inside out with such a perfection for years in order to create such a beautiful and harmonious designs!
 The ones of you who are studying architecture will understand why the structure of ST. George Church is in every 7 meters 30 cm smaller in diameter while a decorative 'rim' disguise this difference making impossible for our eyes to detect! Because of our eye habit, big and bulky buildings look bigger as they are higher!
 * monolithic, is a Greek word and refers to a sculpture made out of 'One Stone'! It is surprising to any visitor that all Churces are carved inside out without any corrections!
 
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 * Click above  
and see a video clip with some of the Churches!
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 
               

 

Chapter 6
 
 
Chartres Cathedral south of Paris; its builders left puzzling sculptures in the front and back porch entrances...
 
On the left column at the porch and in front of the Cathedral we see the Ark loaded on a cart traveling to Ethiopia...
 
 
 
At the top of another column, the builders of the Cathedral left engraved a strange inscription in Latin which according to scholars is a 'cryptogram' referring to the Ark
 
6. The connection with Chartres Cathedral in France
Chartres Cathedral in France was build around the 12th century by very experienced architects and masons. It was the first Cathedral in Europe adopting the finest and new for that time ‘Gothic’ style! The north entrance is devoted to Old Testament themes and many statuettes are carved to give that impression! As you observe them from a distance, we can for sure say that they are not a mere decoration but there is a strong belief that the builders wanted somehow to tell future generations of a long forgotten story...
They decided that if written, it could somehow be lost or distorted!
In the north entrance, among Holy Mary and Jesus, Abraham, Moses,  Samuel and king David are depicted among the statuettes.
On the right we can clearly recognize Melchizedek the mysterious king - priest mentioned shortly in
Genesis Chapter #14.
In his left hand is holding a cup or otherwise known as a 'Grail' with a piece of bread inside which some believe to be a stone! For many religious scholars he is viewed as precursor of Jesus Christ!
On the left we can clearly see an ox cart loaded with a box which reassembles the Ark of the Covenant as its dimensions fit the Biblical description!
 
On the right side we can again recognize Queen of Sheba as a full statue with her negroid maid on her knees! As the cart is moving to the right, towards Queen of Sheba, we can easily understand that the builders wanted to tell future generations through these sculptures the story in the Ethiopian 'Kebra Negast'! The story goes that Menelic, Queen of Sheba and King Solomon son, took the Arc of the Covenant from Israel to Ethiopia!
 
We understand, it is impossible that this story reached Europe  at the 12th century! That means that the Chartres Cathedral builders had somehow good knowledge of it! Therefore its understood that only the Templars (the knights of Solomon Temple in Jerusalem) could be the ones knowing about it who were in Ethiopia at around that time and of course they also were the builders of Chartres Cathedral!

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Melchizedeck a King and a priest in old Israel. Very little is written in the old testament for such an important person! Many say he was the precursor of Jesus Christ... In his hand holds the holy Grail!
 
In the front porch of the Cathedral we can clearly recognize Queen Sheba in the middle with King Solomon on the right and her negroid slave on her feet!

 

  Chapter  7

 

 

 

 
7.  The connection with Germany:
Parzival, an opera or a cryptogram?
 
'The Young Titurel' was a play written from a German writer around the 13th century whose name was Wolfgang von Eshenbach...
The play was about a young singer (trobadour)  and has a lot of information embedded for searching of the Holy Grail and at the same time tells the story of Queen of Sheba meeting King Solomon having an offspring, Menelik who took the Ark of the Covenant to Ethiopia... The play in itself is a cryptogram about the missing Arc of the Covenant...!
The original story was in an old Ethiopian book called kebra Negast (tales of kings) and by no means could have come to Europe without the involvement of the Templars who traveled from Jerusalem to Ethiopia and back to Europe...
Later on Parzival was an opera written and composed by the famous composer Wagner  with almost the same theme...
 I understand that when some Templars start coming back to Europe the story somehow leaked to the young writer Wolfgang von Eshenbach who was fascinated by it and encouraged him to write this play!
 
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 Chapter 8

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

8. Books & Links

- The Old Testament, King James authorized Bible.
   It was first published in 1611 and for a long time it was 'the noblest English' literature being a good example among English speaking  people and in public institutions! There were though many serious defects in it.  In the middle of the 19th century it has been a development of the biblical studies and together with the discovery of many ancient manuscripts made it apparent to call for a revision. The Church of
  England took the task in 1870 and in 1881 a revised version was published!
 - The Old Testament, Jerusalem Bible.
  The original was written in Hebrew including most books written in
  ancient times, some from the famous prophets themselves!  Nowadays copies in English are available.
 - 'Ethiopia and the Bible' by Dr. Edward Ulendorf
 - 'Archives from Elephantine' by Bezaleel Porter
   An archaeologist who describes  all findings of the Jewish Temple there!
 - The 'Sign & the Seal'  by Graham Hancock, detailed and accurate information as to how the Arc of the Covenant left Israel and end up in Ethiopia,  together with suggestions of the whereabouts of that  precious historic relic!
 -  'Antiquities of the Jews' written by Flavius Josephus, a Pharisee around 100 AD
   who lived in Jerusalem around the first century AD!
 - 'Legends of the Jews' by Louis Gunzberg
 - The book of 'History' by Herodotus, a book translated and published by David Green in university of Chicago, US
 - 'Book of the Arc of the Covenant'
by Julian Morgenstern
 - 'The discovery of the source of river Nile'
by James Bruce an explorer  who wrote a book about    Ethiopia and a detailed description of his exploration around the year 1765.
- 'Hiram Key'  by Chris Knight & Robert Lowman
   All about the Templars and how some secret scrolls buried under the Temple in Jerusalem found their  way to the basement of ST. Rosalyn Chapel in Scotland!

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