10.6092/issn.1973-9494/17302
application/pdf
1973-9494
17302
en
Kassegn Berhanu Melese
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
Conservation Science in Cultural Heritage
religious sculptures
Community cultural heritage management and protection of selected medieval Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela, Ethiopia
Text.Serial.Journal
https://conservation-science.unibo.it/
22
Articles
2023-12-20
2023-06-20
2023-07-20
2023-12-20
61-72
CSCH
Kassegn Berhanu Melese
2022
10.6092/issn.1973-9494/17302
61
Department of Tourism and Hotel Management, Debre Berhan University
1973-9494
religious sculptures
en
72
Community cultural heritage management and protection of selected medieval Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela, Ethiopia
https://conservation-science.unibo.it/article/download/17302/17357
22
C    OMMUNITY CULTURAL HERITAGE MANAGEMENT AND
     PROTECTION OF SELECTED MEDIEVAL ROCK-HEWN
     CHURCHES OF LALIBELA, ETHIOPIA


   Yezihalem Sisay Takele*
   Department of Heritage Conservation and Management
   Institute of Paleo-Environment and Heritage Conservation
   Mekelle University, Ethiopia

   Gezae Haile Weldemichael
   Department of History and Heritage Management
   Mekelle University, Ethiopia

   Kassegn Berhanu Melese
   Department of Tourism and Hotel Management
   Debre Berhan University

   Keywords: cultural heritage, community participation, heritage management, reli-
   gious sculptures



   1. Introduction

    A wide range of issues, and sometimes even criticisms, have been pointed out and
debated regarding the question of cultural heritage management concerns in modern
Africa. The fact that it is related to the weakness of national and regional heritage insti-
tutions [1-2], means that a significant share of World Heritage Sites in Africa is found
under the list of world heritage in danger.
    There are various studies and archaeological works concerning cultural heritage
problems in Ethiopia in general and the Medieval Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela in
particular. However, it is almost impossible to find a complete picture relating to the
major causes of cultural heritage management problems of these churches. Only sev-
eral scholars have focused on conservation project complications and the need for
conservation with international support and local participation [3-5]. Likewise, UNES-
CO, ICOMOS, ICCROM, and an advisory board from the local authorities in 2018
identified priority conservation issues at the World Heritage Site of Lalibela [5].
    The analysis of rock samples [6] and studies of the geological and geotechnical
properties of the Medieval Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela [7-10], moreover, have
been covered in several research cases. Rock-cut stratigraphy [11-14] has also been
widely used and an evaluation of the Lalibela rock-cut churches [7, 15-19] has been
made and examined. Hence, despite carrying out archaeological studies on the rock
churches [20-27], no attempts to study the full scale of the work have been made to



   * Corresponding author: yezih134@gmail.com
                                                                                                                                     obtain a full picture, a required step for their correct management, protection, and
Y.S. Takele, G.H. Weldemichael, K.B. Melese - Community cultural heritage management and protection of selected medieval rock-hewn



                                                                                                                                     preservation. As a result, this renowned UNESCO world heritage site needs urgent
                                                                                                                                     action, as the damage to the churches is becoming serious.
                                                                                                                                         The findings regarding the management practices of the Lalibela religious sculp-
                                                                                                                                     tures have identified serious concerns for their protection, as well as the fact that these
                                                                                                                                     management practices require further investigation. Since 2007, international organi-
                                                                                                                                     zations like the World Heritage Fund (WHF), UNESCO, and European Union (EU)
                                                                                                                                     have funded projects for the construction of canopies to protect five churches from the
                                                                                                                                     external elements. Yet, after doing so, a new problem arose when water began to infil-
                                                                                                                                     trate through the built canopies and caused further damage.




                                                                                                                                     Figure 1. A) A canopy installed at the church of Bete-Medhane-Alem; B) the Bete-Mariyam Church
                                                                                                                                     with canopy.


                                                                                                                                         Such cultural heritage management concerns are the subject of widespread crit-
                                                                                                                                     icisms, both by the immediate stakeholders and the conservationists. On the one
                                                                                                                                     hand, temporary light canopies were built to protect five churches from external factors
                                                                                                                                     (Figures 1A and B show two examples). However, the seeping water contributed to
                                                                                                                                     weathering and erosion of the rocks, thereby causing surface damage to the structures
                                                                                                                                     of all the churches. Moreover, this high level of human intervention may have resulted in
                                                                                                                                     a greater risk of the installed roof canopies collapsing. For this reason, the local com-
                                                                                                                                     munity and church representatives have expressed serious concerns.
                                                                                                                                         On the other hand, the urban development plan itself has pointed out the impor-
                                                                                                                                     tance of harmonizing development, so as not to put the values and properties of the
                                                                                                                                     world heritage site of Lalibela at risk. However, incompatible goals among heritage
                                                                                                                                     stakeholders, overpopulation, and poor sanitation within the core zone of the World
                                                                                                                                     Heritage Property in Lalibela town need to be comprehensively and systematically in-
                                                                                                                                     vestigated. These are the issues the study intended to address. Hence, the objective
                                                                                                                                     was to critically explore the community cultural heritage management and protection
                                                                                                                                     measures adopted in selected medieval rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, Ethiopia.


                                                                                                                                        2. Materials and methods

                                                                                                                                         The study was conducted through the use of a qualitative exploratory research
                                                                                                                                     design with a field survey. This method was used to generate information regarding the
                                                                                                                                     current status of local community cultural heritage management and protection of the


                                                                                                                   62
selected Medieval Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela, Ethiopia. With special emphasis,
an in-depth investigation was made on two purposely selected churches as a case
study. The two selected churches were Bete-Medhane-Alem (House of the savior of the
World – with a temporary light canopy installed) (Figure 1), and Bete-Qeddus-Merco-
reus (House of St. Mercoreus – without a temporary light canopy) and were chosen for
comparative purposes. Data was collected from unstructured and follow up-interviews,
as well as focus group discussions to explore the level of human intervention and her-
itage management practices.
    The number of research samples was 195 (total number of interviews) and consist-
ed of the local community, which included elders, priests, historians, conservators,
travel agents, tour operator employees, and local authorities (heritage experts, heri-
tage managers and consultants). The focus group discussion and follow-up interviews
consisted of 24 and 51 individuals respectively, which enabled mixed-gender groups to
add diversity to the discussion. This study is the result of field surveys carried out by
the researcher. Interviews with the local community and local authorities were also
conducted. Once collected, the unstructured text, audio, video, and image data, includ-
ing interviews, focus group discussions and observation surveys were correlated, an-
alyzed, and discussed.


   3. Results and discussion

   3.1. Local community participation in cultural heritage management

     The findings of the research prove that a local community sense of belonging to the
Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela creates greater attachment through the involvement
of the locals in cultural heritage management and protection work. Conversely, a pro-
cess involving a bottom-up approach does not create participation to empower local




                                                                                                   CONSERVATION SCIENCE IN CULTURAL HERITAGE
communities and protect the cultural heritage in and around the town of Lalibela. This
is because the government tries hard to retain a top-down approach.
     The issue of participation is rooted in the relationship between the government and
the local community. For example, the local community has little trust in the authority’s
decisions regarding the planning and management of cultural heritage. The effort to
build a degree of trust between the government and the local community is essential
to preserve cultural heritage. Yet participatory programs are, in practice, rhetoric rather
than a meaningful social exchange. This is because there are no appropriate mecha-
nisms in place to solicit public engagement effectively. At the same time, there should
be debate about what constitutes meaningful participation in cultural heritage manage-
ment. It is the absolute right of individuals to be involved in heritage management ac-
tivities in certain ways. Local community participation, as an approach to empower lo-
cal communities and protect cultural heritage, can be created in the bottom-up and
top-down process [28]. This participatory approach is part of the process that could
bring benefits to both government and the local community. However, the government
retains its power of control only in a top-down process and local community involve-
ment is only at the stage of public meetings.
     The Author, however, argues that the local community’s sense of belonging to the
place creates a higher demand for managing the Lalibela World Heritage Site. The term
‘collective memory’ has become a powerful symbol and an indicator of the way of life
of a society. It is reflected in the innovation and expression of identity through the col-


                                                                                              63
                                                                                                                                     lective memories of the past. Overall, the respondent’s survey results reveal that the
Y.S. Takele, G.H. Weldemichael, K.B. Melese - Community cultural heritage management and protection of selected medieval rock-hewn



                                                                                                                                     local community and the government for the proper management and protection of
                                                                                                                                     cultural heritage have taken different measures. As a result, the effort of the local gov-
                                                                                                                                     ernment concerning cultural heritage management is not commendable. Generally, the
                                                                                                                                     community attempts to gain as much power as possible to directly participate in any
                                                                                                                                     conservation work. However, once UNESCO inscribes the heritage, ownership is trans-
                                                                                                                                     ferred from the locals to the wider community (i.e. international community), which
                                                                                                                                     means locals are deprived of participation in any conservation work without the official
                                                                                                                                     authorization of UNESCO, which is the limitation of getting heritage properties onto the
                                                                                                                                     list of World Heritage Sites (WHS).
                                                                                                                                          Yet the local community is still invited to public discussions to provide support for the
                                                                                                                                     cultural heritage management activities of the Church (Figure 2); consequently, the local
                                                                                                                                     community continues to participate in regular activities of beautification, clean-up cam-
                                                                                                                                     paigns, and environmental protection programs (Figures 2A, B and C). In evaluating the
                                                                                                                                     current situation of the WHS of the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, it is clear that the
                                                                                                                                     structures are suffering from continuous threats. These threats can be divided into two
                                                                                                                                     main categories. First of all, general threats, which all the sites are facing, are related to
                                                                                                                                     the aging and erosion of the rock-cut churches, resulting in cracks. This process is sup-
                                                                                                                                     ported by weathering agents such as water, acids, salts, plants, and temperature chang-
                                                                                                                                     es. Secondly, the threats are related to the weakness of national and regional heritage
                                                                                                                                     institutions’ management techniques to conserve and maintain their long-term value.
                                                                                                                                          These threats, such as the aging of the rock-cut churches, can also be categorized
                                                                                                                                     as high-risk threats. Medium-risk threats include management deficiencies in the heri-
                                                                                                                                     tage institutions and low-risk threats are called common threats, such as shortcomings
                                                                                                                                     in the legal framework and trained human resources. For example, the external wall of
                                                                                                                                     Bete-Medhane-Alem church started to deteriorate and then extended to other areas, a
                                                                                                                                     process which accelerated when water began to infiltrate through parts of the cracked
                                                                                                                                     rock structures.
                                                                                                                                          The findings have clarified that implementing the management plan for this heri-
                                                                                                                                     tage site is limited. The situation points to most of the existing management plans be-
                                                                                                                                     ing only ‘paper plans’ without any effective consequent action; the plans do not even
                                                                                                                                     follow the time-period. Hence, there is a necessity to conduct new approaches, partic-




                                                                                                                                     Figure 2. A) Local community involvement in a beautification project; B) cleaning decoration on
                                                                                                                                     the outside; C) conserving a damaged part of the heritage.


                                                                                                               64
ularly for community-based cultural heritage resource management. Even though the
Churches of Lalibela have continued to generate new and creative community busi-
nesses as a source of income to support the ongoing management of heritage, conser-
vation activities have failed to receive more attention and resources. The results from
questionnaire variables exemplified that local community participation in effective cul-
tural heritage management and protection is limited.


   3.2. Government efforts in cultural heritage management

     Lalibela’s churches are used by locals daily. The spiritual and religious festivals
throughout the year are long-standing traditions of community engagement with the
churches. However, with a large number of pilgrims, particularly in January, two issues
of concern arise: maintaining the intangible religious activities and preserving the
physical existence of the cultural heritage without negative consequences. Today the
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is still a central element in the daily lives of the
Lalibela community. Both the Church and government exert influence in decisions
made in the town, which also includes the management of the WHS of Lalibela [29].
The local administration is still working on achieving a partnership between the Minis-
try, investors, and non-governmental organizations in each management area which
involves many tasks, such as developing programs, funding, and implementing projects.
This is necessary to gain public support for local administration efforts and to encour-
age individuals to participate in these attempts. Developing a training program to cre-
ate a distinguished group of site managers is also part of the semi-centralized monitor-
ing structure. The Ethiopian Orthodox-Tewahedo Church is a symbol of devotion to God.
It is the legal owner of the churches and acts as a traditional custodianship, which is a
subset of the traditional heritage management system; the church has a cumulative
body of knowledge, practice, and beliefs.




                                                                                                     CONSERVATION SCIENCE IN CULTURAL HERITAGE
     On the one hand, the government acts as a decision-maker in all matters related to
enacting laws that promote and encourage the management of the sites and monu-
ments that are deemed to help current and future generations to understand the histo-
ries of the local, state, or territorial, and federal environments. On the other hand,
Ethiopian Orthodox Church actions are guided by customs and belief systems, carried
out by local communities, and aimed at the continuous use and preservation of the
place, its values, and its surrounding environment. Heritage law ignores the fact that
communities operating within traditional custodianship systems can manage their her-
itage on behalf of the state. Thus far, it has been concluded that the management system
in the town of Lalibela is experiencing challenges in facilitating the protection of cultural
heritage. As mentioned earlier, the issues of concern relate to matters largely in exten-
sive heritage controls, legal restrictions, and the unrestricted powers of several stake-
holders in the heritage administrative system. Ignoring church participation within tradi-
tional custodianship systems reinforces the perception that the church administration
does not form part of heritage management work.
     Yet again, as identified in the discussion above, the heritage management system
has been unable to protect heritage sites from falling victim to destruction by neglect.
The key, then, is to explore stakeholder perceptions on key factors driving the deci-
sion-making process and a common understanding and ongoing development of new
approaches for the collective heritage management system. From the local communi-
ty, a historian argued that, for some, it means protecting the traditional knowledge and


                                                                                                65
                                                                                                                                     memories that gave life to cultural landscapes, such as artefacts and churches left
Y.S. Takele, G.H. Weldemichael, K.B. Melese - Community cultural heritage management and protection of selected medieval rock-hewn



                                                                                                                                     behind by ancestors. For others, it means making sure that cultural heritage provides
                                                                                                                                     an understanding of cultures and environments for the present generation. In the town
                                                                                                                                     of Lalibela, heritage is considered evidence of past human activities in the present.


                                                                                                                                        3.3. Community cultural heritage management practices

                                                                                                                                          For many years, the Lalibela Churches, as a cultural antiquity, have survived to this
                                                                                                                                     day. The rocks from which the churches were excavated are exposed to natural haz-
                                                                                                                                     ards such as earthquakes and floods. There are different factors responsible for the
                                                                                                                                     deterioration of cultural heritage such as climatic causes, natural disasters, and biolog-
                                                                                                                                     ical and botanical causes. Destructive anthropogenic causes can include illicit traffick-
                                                                                                                                     ing, intervention, conflict and war, pollution, and mass tourism [30-36]. While the degree
                                                                                                                                     and nature of these causes vary, the cultural heritage of Lalibela Churches has been
                                                                                                                                     affected by all these factors.
                                                                                                                                          Based on this, an attempt has been made to explore the community’s view of her-
                                                                                                                                     itage management and protection work. Experts often emphasize only the economic
                                                                                                                                     importance of cultural heritage, so its spiritual and aesthetic value is of secondary im-
                                                                                                                                     portance. This situation has been caused by a limited understanding of the importance
                                                                                                                                     of the historic fabric and the oversimplification of values due to the divergence of inter-
                                                                                                                                     ests in the heritage sector.
                                                                                                                                          The Cultural Policy of Ethiopia (1997) provides a set of fundamental principles in-
                                                                                                                                     tended to guide the identification, management, development, and promotion of cultural
                                                                                                                                     heritage. Certainly, community involvement is expected to create sustainable communi-
                                                                                                                                     ty-based heritage management and provide equality in the distribution of the benefits to
                                                                                                                                     the local community and authorities. On the one hand, this indicates any direct role of
                                                                                                                                     local community involvement is due to existing economic opportunities. On the other
                                                                                                                                     hand, the local community views cultural heritage sites as a legacy for contemporary
                                                                                                                                     communities. Their perceptions tend to extend beyond those of the central government
                                                                                                                                     or the private sector’s economic motives. However, for the majority of local community
                                                                                                                                     members, the income accrued from cultural heritage is enough to make a living.
                                                                                                                                          It is worth noting that the local communities are the closest owners, custodians,
                                                                                                                                     and protectors of Lalibela cultural heritage. Up to this day, the transfer of various antiq-
                                                                                                                                     uities from generation to generation is largely made by the custodian efforts of local
                                                                                                                                     communities. The preservation of these churches over the past centuries has been
                                                                                                                                     guided by local communities who have saved these ancient structures for the future.
                                                                                                                                     However, most modern interventions have failed to restore the original features of the
                                                                                                                                     rock-cut churches.
                                                                                                                                          At the same time, while observing the diversity of the stakeholders interested in the
                                                                                                                                     heritage management of the Lalibela Churches, there are incompatible goals among
                                                                                                                                     them. The participatory approach dominates the discourse on management and, more
                                                                                                                                     often than not, it becomes mere political correctness instead of tangible action. The
                                                                                                                                     multiplicity of actors involved in heritage management with the Lalibela Churches cre-
                                                                                                                                     ates incompatible goals among the heritage stakeholders.
                                                                                                                                          An elder, who was part of the research survey, was asked if they had a clear under-
                                                                                                                                     standing of the interaction between heritage stakeholders and the WHS of Lalibela. He
                                                                                                                                     said that the community and the seasonal pilgrims were the core stakeholders who
                                                                                                                                     shared the same values and religious beliefs. Currently, particular churches are man-


                                                                                                                66
aged by the community by recruiting trainees among the locals for regular follow-ups
and requests for maintenance programs. However, there are different areas of cooper-
ation and involvement where heritage stakeholders are required. For example, heritage
stakeholders need to have shared goals to ensure the viability, preservation, protection
and promotion of cultural heritage.
    There are different stakeholders’ perceptions regarding cultural heritage manage-
ment and protection work. For this reason, the Burra Charter establishes principles for
the effective management and conservation of cultural heritage sites. The charter stress-
es that stakeholders from all disciplines in the heritage sector are needed to contribute
to the safeguarding of cultural heritage for present and future generations.


   3.4. Bete-Medhane-Alem Church and Bete-Qeddus-Mercoreus Church

    The House of the Savior of the World or Bete-Medhane-Alem is the largest church
of all and stands out due to its size. The large numbers of pillars of the church are
considered pillars of great mystery. There are 72 pillars symbolizing the 72 disciples
(34 inside and 38 outside) as shown in Figure 3A. The church is 11m high, 34m wide
and 24m long.
    The Church of Bete-Mercoreus (House of Mercoreus) is situated on the opposite
side of the encircling mountain of Bete-Emanuel and is Emperor Lalibela’s seventh
work. It is irregular in shape and is one of the four churches from the southeast group
of churches (Figure 3B). The church is surrounded by tall rectangular supporting pillars
and has regularly shaped openings in the form of a cross. Local communities believe
that Christ touched one of the pillars of the Church when he revealed himself to Em-
peror Lalibela in his dreams.




                                                                                                   CONSERVATION SCIENCE IN CULTURAL HERITAGE




Figure 3. A) Bete-Medhane-Alem (House of the Savior of the World); B) Bete-Qeddus-Mercoreus
(House of St. Mercoreos) Church.


    The Church of Bete-Medehane-Alem (House of the Savior of the World) is a huge
pink stone structure that was sculpted from the top down atop a rock cliff. It is the sec-
ond work by Emperor Lalibela among the eleven churches and the widest and biggest
of them all. Due to rainfall most of the roof is in a state of deterioration with poor con-
servation action [37]. Some of the pillars of Bete-Medehane-Alem church have been


                                                                                              67
                                                                                                                                     rebuilt upon the original foundations after being damaged. The damaged pillars had to
Y.S. Takele, G.H. Weldemichael, K.B. Melese - Community cultural heritage management and protection of selected medieval rock-hewn



                                                                                                                                     be rebuilt to protect those that were still standing. The external wall of the church also
                                                                                                                                     shows signs of deterioration, which is extending in different directions, a process which
                                                                                                                                     accelerated when water began to infiltrate through the built protective shades and re-
                                                                                                                                     sulted in further damage. In addition, one of the collapsed columns can still be seen
                                                                                                                                     abandoned, in a state of disrepair, at the north-western corner. There is a long crack
                                                                                                                                     inside the two church arcades. Inside the church, the walls are deteriorating due to
                                                                                                                                     water infiltration from the roof. The upper-row windows have round arches supported
                                                                                                                                     by brackets; the arches have ten small circular openings.
                                                                                                                                         It has three doors, on the north, south, and east sides, respectively. The main en-
                                                                                                                                     trance is in the center of the church. From this western door, a staircase leads to the
                                                                                                                                     narthex. The interior of the church is large, its size and plan creating the atmosphere
                                                                                                                                     of a cathedral. The interior walls are without decoration, but they are impressive. It has
                                                                                                                                     a nave, five aisles, and eight bays separated by 38 columns. The first bay on the west-
                                                                                                                                     ern side makes up a narthex and the last two bays on the eastern side lead up to the
                                                                                                                                     Meqdes (sanctuary), accessible only to priests and deacons. The aisles have flat ceil-
                                                                                                                                     ings, while the nave has a barrel vault. The interior of the church is dominated by four
                                                                                                                                     rows of rectangular pillars, which support the nave and aisles. Unlike the exterior, the
                                                                                                                                     interior pillars are ornamented with bracket capitals, and are linked to each other by
                                                                                                                                     semi-circular arches.
                                                                                                                                         The level of damage within the church is less compared to the exterior wall. In the
                                                                                                                                     north-eastern corner of the interior, there are three empty graves (tombs), and accord-
                                                                                                                                     ing to the church priest, the three empty graves symbolically represent those of Abra-
                                                                                                                                     ham, Isaac, and Jacob. Three unique features distinguish the church: it’s huge and im-
                                                                                                                                     pressive size, the large number of pillars, both inside and outside, and the plan of the
                                                                                                                                     five passageways.
                                                                                                                                         The Bete-Qeddus-Mercoreus (House of St. Mercoreos) church is irregular in shape
                                                                                                                                     and is one of the four churches from the southeast group. The church is composed of
                                                                                                                                     chambers supported by pillars. The exterior walls are decorated with different rows of
                                                                                                                                     windows. The windows in the lower row are rectangular and filled with panels of pierced
                                                                                                                                     stone, each of which is ornamented with a central cross. As explained by the church
                                                                                                                                     priests, this particular church is still the most devastated in the southeast group and
                                                                                                                                     stands without any protective measures. The roof of the church is exposed to different
                                                                                                                                     weather conditions, consequently, rainwater continues to infiltrate, a situation which might
                                                                                                                                     alter the church structure, considering it is an underground rock-cut monolithic church.
                                                                                                                                     Local people further explain that the church is dedicated to a Roman martyr, St. Merco-
                                                                                                                                     reus, which recalls the contacts early Christian Ethiopia had with the Roman Empire.
                                                                                                                                         There are many passageways to this particular church and one subterranean flat
                                                                                                                                     dark hidden underground passage traditionally symbolizes hell. Likewise, the church
                                                                                                                                     itself symbolizes heaven. What is peculiar to this church is its monolithic altar, carved
                                                                                                                                     from the parent stone under it, with eight hewn pillars. The level of structural damage
                                                                                                                                     can be observed easily, and it is one of the most damaged and partially collapsed church-
                                                                                                                                     es among the rock-hewn structures.
                                                                                                                                         So far, it stands without any protective roof, and it has not undergone any preser-
                                                                                                                                     vation work. As a result of the partially collapsed structure, the church was unable to
                                                                                                                                     teach biblical doctrine for more than a decade to believers. The collapsed part of this
                                                                                                                                     church was repaired in the 1960s by an Italian conservationist called Angelini. It was
                                                                                                                                     then repaired again by local custodians in 1989. Since then, it has been used as a
                                                                                                                                     centre for worship.


                                                                                                                68
      4. Conclusion

    For a long period, the local communities took full responsibility for protecting and
preserving its cultural heritage. However, the heritage site of Lalibela has suffered se-
rious deterioration because of aging factors. Such factors may gradually lead to a total
collapse of the entire structure. From the findings of this study, it is possible to conclude
that specific conservation activities and intervention are important to improve manage-
ment practices and modern conservation methods need to be adopted to stop further
damage. The initiatives currently being taken by the government are, nevertheless, a
positive sign to protect and preserve the cultural properties in Lalibela.


      Acknowledgments

   I am grateful to Mekelle University which allowed me to carry out this research. I
owe a great deal to my advisor Professor Ayele Bekerie (Ph.D.) and Dr. Kassegn Ber-
hanu not only for their intellectual guidance but also for their painstaking corrections,
comments, and suggestions.


      Disclosure statement

      There is no potential conflict of interest by the author.


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                                                                                                      CONSERVATION SCIENCE IN CULTURAL HERITAGE
   Biographical notes

    Yezihalem Sisay Takele is a Ph.D. student at the Institute of Paleo-environment
and Heritage Conservation of Mekelle University, Ethiopia. He studied Tourism and
Heritage Management for his Master’s degree. His interests include research on cul-
tural and environmental heritage, urban heritage, and archeological studies.

    Gezae Haile Weldemichael (Ph.D.) has worked as a lecturer of history and heri-
tage management under the Department of History and Heritage Management, Mekelle
University, Ethiopia. He has participated in many local and international conferences
and has published numerous research papers on the restoration and conservation of
cultural heritage antiquities. Currently he is serving the university as library director. His
research interests include: digital humanity, library, information science, history, heri-
tage, ancient manuscript study, locally grown knowledge systems.

   Kassegn Berhanu Melese (Ph.D. Business Management, Tourism Marketing and
Management) has published numerous research papers on cultural heritage manage-
ment and conservation, travel and tourism marketing. He has worked as a lecturer at the
Department of Tourism and Hotel Management, Debre Berhan University, Ethiopia.


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                                                                                                                                        Summary
Y.S. Takele, G.H. Weldemichael, K.B. Melese - Community cultural heritage management and protection of selected medieval rock-hewn




                                                                                                                                         The Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela are tangible world heritage. However, the
                                                                                                                                     sculptures are facing imminent danger of destruction and damage from various factors
                                                                                                                                     of deterioration. This is because they have been affected by various agents which have
                                                                                                                                     caused rapid deterioration, as well as by the aging process. Geological factors can be
                                                                                                                                     related to the rock formations and fractured ceilings; climatic factors can be related to
                                                                                                                                     temperature fluctuations which gradually affect the condition of the cultural heritage;
                                                                                                                                     biological factors include bacteria and fungi which are also a threat to the sculptures.
                                                                                                                                     Hence, modern conservation methods are needed to halt further damage before facing
                                                                                                                                     the total collapse of the entire structure. Having described several elements of concern
                                                                                                                                     in the management of this World Heritage Site, this study suggests important consid-
                                                                                                                                     erations to put in place for developing proper approaches to its preservation.


                                                                                                                                        Riassunto

                                                                                                                                          Le chiese scavate nella roccia di Lalibela sono Patrimonio Mondiale dell’Umanità.
                                                                                                                                     Tuttavia, esse sono a rischio di distruzione e danneggiamento a causa di vari fattori di
                                                                                                                                     deterioramento. Questo perché sono soggette, oltre che al normale processo di invec-
                                                                                                                                     chiamento, oltre che a vari agenti che ne hanno causato un rapido deterioramento: fat-
                                                                                                                                     tori geologici, correlati alle formazioni rocciose, che riguardano le fratture nei soffitti;
                                                                                                                                     fattori climatici, che riguardano le variazioni di temperatura e che influiscono gradual-
                                                                                                                                     mente sulla conservazione del patrimonio culturale; fattori biologici fra i quali batteri e
                                                                                                                                     funghi che sono una minaccia per i beni. Pertanto, sono necessari idonei metodi di con-
                                                                                                                                     servazione per arrestare l’ulteriore degrado e prevenire il crollo totale dell’intera struttu-
                                                                                                                                     ra. Dopo aver descritto i diversi fattori di rischio per questo sito Patrimonio dell’Umanità,
                                                                                                                                     lo studio suggerisce azioni da mettere in pratica per sviluppare metodologie adeguate
                                                                                                                                     alla sua conservazione.




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