The Dolmen of Menga, situated just north of the city of Antequera in Andalusia, Spain, is
one of the largest known megalithic tombs in Europe. The entranceway opens out into one
massive chamber, 27.5 metres long, 6 metres wide and 3.5 metres in height. It is built using
thirty-two massive stones with the largest weighing 180 tonnes, two stones centrally placed
support the middle of the tomb. It has been dated to 3750-3650BC and has been a UNESCO
World Heritage Site since 2016. One of the most interesting features is the 20-metre-deep
well that is aligned with the two central pillars, it is thought that this was added at a later
date and was probably used for ritualistic purposes. Staring down into the dark pit its truly
hard to imagine the sights this wonderful place has seen. The construction of this site was
meticulous, the side stones are tilted slightly giving the tomb a trapezoidal shape. When
these stones were originally embedded they were planted into pre-set holes that covered up
to one third of the stones length. Once the walls were in place the five large capstones were
put in place, each of the capstones were slightly convex which meant that their weight was
transferred into the side stones. Another interesting thing to note is that in 2005 the
remains of two men, dated to the 11th century AD were discovered during excavations which
show the ongoing importance of the site.

From within the entrance of the tomb you get a beautiful view of the Peña de los
Enamorados (“The Lovers’ Rock”). This mountain creates an anthropomorphic landscape,
looking like a human face lying down. A cave on the mountain called the Abrifo (shelter) of
Matacabras is located on the northwest face of the mountain and is orientated to align with
the tomb at the sunrise on the summer solstice. It is believed to be one of only a few tombs
in Europe to be aligned with a natural occurring cave. The cave must have held some
importance as schematic style cave paintings have been discovered within it, showing that it
must have been a place of reverence for the Neolithic people who built the tomb. The
Menga Dolmen is a truly fascinating site and undoubtedly was of huge importance to the
Neolithic people of modern day Andalusia.

GPS: 37.02415, -4.5482