20 November 2008
Addis Abeba — The European Commission funded shelters for World Heritage Site churches of Lalibela colorfully inaugurated on 13 November 2008 at Lalibela, the commission said in a statement.
Ambassador Dino Sinigallia, Head of the European Commission Delegation to Ethiopia and the State Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mahamuda Ahmed Ga'as attended the inauguration ceremony to mark the completion of works to construct four shelters for five churches in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lalibela.
The Bugna Woreda Centre which comprises a museum and an Amphitheatre was also inaugurated during the event.
"The Lalibela churches have a unique history and the protection works were carried out to save the churches from further deterioration. As Ethiopia's long-standing partner in development, the European Union reaffirms its continued support to the Government's development strategies. The funding if the shelter worked signifies the European Commission's strong commitment to the continued support to the development strategies of the Government of Ethiopia," Ambassador Dino Sinigallia was quoted as saying during the ceremony.
The State Minister on his part recalled the Government's determination to implement the conservation and preservation works and this project would greatly enhance its efforts towards this goal. He also reaffirmed the Government's readiness to intensify further cultural activities in the site and advised the Woreda officials and residents of the town to continue toe traditional hospitality to visitors and pilgrims parallel to the cultural activities.
The European Commission has provided a total of - 9.1 million (more than 111 million birr) from the European Development Fund for the construction of the shelters. The works contract had been signed in November 2006 between he Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage (ARCCH) and the Joint Venture of Endeco SPA & ICOM Engineering SPA/ The shelters have been designed by Teprin Association of Italy, following an International Competitive Tender known as "The skies of lalibela". Supervision of the works has also been carried out by the same company, as the representative of ARCCH. Teprin was assisted by the local form MH Engineering.
The works were completed in December 2007, following which a 12-month maintenance period was observed in accordance with the contract to remedy any possible defects in the works prior to final acceptance of the project. The churches that were covered with shelters are: Biet medhane-Alem, Biet Mariam, Biet Masqal, Bier Ammanuel and Biet Abba-Libanos.
The new shelters replaced the existing structures, which have been in place for nearly ten years. The purpose of the shelters is to protect the churches before and during the restoration works. The shelters have been designed as temporary installations capable of being removed after completion of the restoration works and of being reused for other purpose, the commission added.
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