The Antequera Dolmens – A UNESCO World Heritage Site

On the road from Sevilla to Granada, about 100 miles up the road, you run into the town of Antequera, the site of three 5000-year-old dolmens: Menga Dolmen (the largest in Europe) and Viera Dolmen, which are both located just outside the town, while El Romeral Dolmen is a few km away. These three prehistoric burial chambers represent some of the largest and most complete megalithic structures in Europe.

El Romeral Dolmen - One of the Dolmens

In 2016 the dolmens, along with two mountains closely connected to the dolmen complex, were declared UNESCO World Heritage. The Antequera Dolmens are the seventh WH site in Andalucia.

The Menga Dolmen is famous for its significant geographical location - on the summer solstice, 21 June, the morning sun shines over the peak of the Peña de los Enamorados (Lover’s Peak) and straight along the dolmen's entrance corridor. This very exact positioning would have held mystical importance for the prehistoric tribes who built the dolmen thousands of years ago.

The Antequera Dolmens Site, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list on 15 July 2016, includes the mountains of El Torcal de Antequera and Peña de los Enamorados (towards which the dolmens face). The dolmens are described as "outstanding examples of megalithic architecture and... amongst the most recognized and quoted in the world."

If UNESCO sites are on your bucket list, you should add this one to it, spectacular examples of megalithic structures, rivaling the world-famous Stonehenge in England!