▁Because ▁L al ib ela ▁came ▁to ▁power ▁during ▁his ▁brother ' s ▁lifetime , ▁T add esse ▁Tam rat ▁suspect s ▁that ▁he ▁came ▁to ▁power ▁by ▁force ▁of ▁arms . ▁ ▁L al ib ela ▁is ▁said ▁to ▁have ▁seen ▁Jerusalem ▁in ▁a ▁vision ▁and ▁then ▁attempted ▁to ▁build ▁a ▁new ▁Jerusalem ▁as ▁his ▁capital ▁in ▁response ▁to ▁the ▁capture ▁of ▁old ▁Jerusalem ▁by ▁Muslim s ▁in ▁ 1 1 8 7 . ▁As ▁such , ▁many ▁features ▁of ▁the ▁town ▁of ▁L al ib ela ▁have ▁Bib lic al ▁names ▁including ▁the ▁town ' s ▁river , ▁known ▁as ▁the ▁River ▁Jordan ▁( ). ▁The ▁city ▁remained ▁the ▁capital ▁of ▁Eth iop ia ▁from ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 2 th ▁century ▁and ▁into ▁the ▁ 1 3 th ▁century . ▁ ▁Details ▁about ▁the ▁construction ▁of ▁his ▁ 1 1 ▁mon ol ith ic ▁churches ▁at ▁L al ib ela ▁have ▁been ▁lost . ▁The ▁later ▁G ad la ▁L al ib ela , ▁a ▁h agi ography ▁of ▁the ▁king , ▁states ▁that ▁he ▁car ved ▁these ▁churches ▁out ▁of ▁stone ▁with ▁only ▁the ▁help ▁of ▁ang els . ▁According ▁to ▁the ▁narr ative ▁of ▁the ▁Portuguese ▁emb ass y ▁to ▁Eth iop ia ▁in ▁ 1 5 2 0 - 6 , ▁written ▁down ▁by ▁Father ▁Francisco ▁Ál var es ▁and ▁published ▁ 1 5 4 0 , ▁the ▁L al ib elian ▁pri ests ▁claimed ▁that ▁the ▁churches ▁took ▁ 2 4 ▁years ▁to ▁construct , ▁and