Antequera Dolmens Site, Spain

The Menga Dolmen was erected 6,000 years ago and represents the height of lintelled architecture in Prehistoric Europe. Unique in its use of internal pillars, the creation of the astonishing space within means it is unparalleled among other cases of European Megalithism. 

It has three distinctive areas: an atrium, a corridor and a large funerary chamber, although the difference between the latter spaces is not well defined. The construction measures 27.5m in length and is covered by an artificial mound of 50m in diameter. 

Of the 33 vertical and horizontal stone blocks which make up the Menga Dolmen, the capstone above the funerary chamber is particularly extraordinary. With a weight of around 150 tonnes, its transportation from the nearby quarry to its current location is almost unimaginable. 

In 2005, a deep, narrow well was discovered in the final section of the funerary chamber. There is an ongoing discussion regarding its nature, chronology and function.

Every summer solstice, at seven o’clock in the morning, sunlight enters the dolmen, illuminating its interior

The Menga Dolmen is unique in that it is the only north-east facing dolmen in continental Europe. Orientated towards the mountain, La Peña de los Enamorados, its axis intersects with the mountain at the Abrigo de Matacabras, a small shelter which contains cave paintings. 

Its name comes from a late medieval legend about the forbidden love between Tello, a local Christian boy, and Tagzona, a young Muslim girl, who had to keep their relationship secret due to their religious differences.

When their love was discovered, Tello was captured and sentenced to death, but Tagzona managed to set him free. They fled and hid on the Peña, but when the guards found them, they decided to seal their love for ever and threw themselves off the cliff.

Constructed using perfectly-cut blocks of stone from a nearby quarry, this dolmen faces southeast, in line with other European monoliths. This orientation means that, on the vernal and autumnal equinoxes, the rays of the morning sun flood its burial chamber at sunrise. 

The Tholos of El Romeral dates back to around 1800 BC. The false cupola of a tholos is constructed by placing rows of stones in concentric converging circles. This technique, which does not make use of any kind of mortar, was used to create the two burial chambers of El Romeral. 

Inside the monument, a long corridor leads to the larger of the two funerary chambers. From here, a second, much shorter corridor provides access to the smaller chamber. The monolith is covered with a large, 75m-diameter burial mound. 

The landscape is predominantly made up of limestone, which formed at the bottom of the sea during the Jurassic Period, more than 150 million years ago, and has slowly risen to the surface. At the mercy of the elements, fascinating silhouettes and structures have been created. 

The area’s diverse fauna includes plants such as hawthorn and ivy, and trees such as wild oak, mountain ash and maple. The effects of the altitude and climate are manifest, and the presence of several endemic species is testament to the ecological value of these mountain ranges. 

Antequera is also renowned for its cuisine, which is clearly influenced by the surrounding countryside, a local favourite being the chilled tomato soup known as porra antequerana. Sweet treats include angelorum and bienmesabe, and the local bread rolls are known as molletes.