stackyFACTSIf you can't conquer Jerusalem, you carve a new one straight down into the bedrock.
If you can't conquer Jerusalem, you carve a new one straight down into the bedrock. In the 12th century, Ethiopian King Lalibela decided to bypass the Islamic forces controlling the Holy Land by commanding the construction of 11 monolithic churches. Instead of building up, thousands of workers chiseled perfectly straight downward into volcanic tuff, freeing massive, intricate cathedrals from the earth without using a single nail, brick, or drop of mortar.
Keep exploring facts in this topic.
History →STACKY FOR IPHONEKeep discovering with Stacky. Interesting facts in an app that is always within reach.
Building an enormous monument usually involves carefully stacking smaller pieces over decades. The builders of the Great Sphinx looked at a massive,…
Discover more
Solid heavy doors are incredibly dangerous during constant earthquakes, so architects opted for lightweight wooden frames covered in sheer paper. Sure,…
Discover more
Classical minimalism is a complete lie. Those pristine, elegant white marble statues from antiquity were completely heavily painted in aggressively tacky,…
Discover more
When you have a highly strategic fort, putting a small fence around it just simply doesn't send the right message. The massive stone barrier surrounding…
Discover more
French authorities spent the final year of World War I building a completely fake replica of Paris on the outskirts of the actual city, complete with wooden…
Discover more
When you have limitless funds and the best artists of the Renaissance, you build architectural party tricks. St. Peter's Square is surrounded by massive…
Discover more