Abstract
This study is about the architectural preservation tradition on the World Heritage site of Lalibela rock-Hewn churches of Ethiopia. The traditional conservation knowhow and skills, their role in the preservation of the heritages; and the local community's involvement on the preservation efforts from 1950s onwards, are the main focus of the study. Field research, key informants interviews and literature study were primary data gathering methods used. It is apparent that, there was a traditional architectural conservation know-how and skill that keeps the rock-hewn churches and the associated intangible cultural assets living intact under heavy manmade and environmental burdens. But, the arrival of the national and international conservation interventions estranged the local knowledge and skill. Thus, the local traditional know-how and skills began to disappear and the community to feel excluded from playing its rightful role on the preservation of the heritages, by and large, belongs to him.
