The landscapes of Gheralta and northern Tigray, particularly the areas between Dugem and Megab in the Gheralta region, lead to comparisons with Monument Valley and the stretches of the red desert landscape found in the southwestern part of the United States of America. The rock-hewn churches of the Gheralta Mountains in the Tigray region are carved from cliff faces and built into pre-existing caves or constructed along the steepest mountain cliffs, very different from the more famous monolithic churches of Lalibela which are carved out of the ground and attached to the earth only at the base.