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01 LOCATION 02 WORLD HERITAGE 03 EL CAMINITO DEL REY (THE KING’S PATHWAY) 04 MONUMENTAL TOWN 05 MODERN TOWN 06 CITY OF SPORT 07 WHAT TO DO 08 ROUTES 01. LOCATION Another outstanding feature of the borough is the Vega de Antequera (lowland), which is run through by the Guadalhorce River, a fertile farm area which has been feeding its inhabitants since more than 6000 years ago. If you wish to know why Antequera has played such an important role along history, please check its strategic position: right in the heart of Andalucía. The name Antequera comes from the Iberian world “Antikaria” meaning something like “in front of the large limestone mass”, by alluding to the facing of the town to the Peña de los Enamorados (Lovers’ Rock) and to El Torcal. Afterwards, during the Arabian Time, it was named Madina Antaqira. We keep a great and extensive As it is strategically located, our city has become a main communication link historical and artistic heritage from our long history. kilometres away from Málaga and the beaches of Costa del Sol and around one and, consequently, a significant logistics and tourist centre placed just a few hour from Granada, Córdoba and Seville. Certainly, Antequera is the Kilometre Zero of Andalucía. INDEX 01 LOCATION p3 NIO M O UN IM D R T IA A L 02. • WORLD HERITAGE P • W L O A I R D L D N H O E M R I E TA IN G O E • PATRIM Organización Sitio de los de las Naciones Unidas dólmenes de Antequera para la Educación, inscrito en la Lista del la Ciencia y la Cultura Patrimonio Mundial en 2016 The extraordinary relevance of The Site of los Dólmenes of Antequera - which was awarded as UNESCO World Heritage in 2016- transcends borders and captivates all visitors. The Site is formed by three cultural assets (Dolmen de Menga, Dolmen de Viera and Tholos de El Romeral) and by two natural ones (La Peña de los Enamorados and El Torcal). It is considered as one of the megalithic architecture and monumental landscape in the European Prehistory by the Neolithic settlers first conscious integration carried out between whose origin goes back to the beginning of 6th millennium BC. The three megalithic monuments were used at the time for ritual and funerary purposes and they are acknowledged examples of the Megalithic Period in West Europe. INDEX 02 WORLD HERITAGE p4 DOLMEN DE MENGA The Dolmen de Menga was erected around 6000 years ago. It is a covered gallery tomb, in accordance with the Atlantic tradition, built with large vertical stones (orthostats) and horizontal ones (capstones) by forming an entry atrium, a corridor and a large funerary chamber. funerary chamber at the end measures It is of colossal dimensions; just the 3.5 m in height and 6 m in width, what implies that the last capstone weights around one hundred and eighty tones. As a peculiarity, Menga has some in- between pillars, a construction resource very rarely used during the European Megalithic period. Another of its singularities which turns this dolmen into something unique in Europe is the deep and narrow well placed inside the funerary chamber, plus a series of anthropomorphous engravings in the shape of crosses and stars on the corridor wall. The Dolmen structure is covered by a mound 50 m in diameter. INDEX 02 WORLD HERITAGE p5 It is a corridor tomb built with orthostats and capstones which faces to the sunset during the equinoxes. At the end of the 21m DOLMEN DE VIERA long corridor, there is a squared chamber Approximately 4500 years old, (2.1m in height and 1.8m in width). the Dolmen de Viera is next to the Dolmen de Menga, in the closest archaeological site to the town. Some of the orthostats of the corridor’s north section have a sort of decoration made of cavities or “small cups forms”, which are very typical in Schematic Art; inside, there are traces of reddish paint. The Dolmen structure is covered by a mound 50 m in diameter. INDEX 02 WORLD HERITAGE p6 The plan is formed by a linteled corridor constructed with large slabs and small stones. At the end, there are two circular chambers where the offering room with the altar stone is placed. , the first one bigger than the second one The chambers are built with small projecting stones in each row with respect of the on the keystone. It is all covered by a mound of 100 m., of diameter surrounded by lower row forming a domed section even though at the end it is finished with a capstone cypress trees. THOLOS DE EL ROMERAL The also known as Dolmen de El Romeral (1800 BC or 3800 years old) is a peculiar tomb not just because it appears as a fake dome due to the rows approximation (following the Mediterranean connection) but also because it faces to both sides of the El Torcal Natural Landscape (geographical connection) and to the sunrises at midday in the winter equinox (astronomic connection). INDEX 02 WORLD HERITAGE p7 EL TORCAL In El Torcal Natural karst Landscape, water and wind have moulded the rocks until forming large rock sculptures with amazing shapes. The whole complex is formed by limestone rocks which were originally placed on the seabed during the Jurassic Period, approximately 150 millions of years ago. The materials settled on the seabed surfaced due to the Alpine Folding. Later, several breakings generated some cracks and faults which have caused what, nowadays, it is called alleyways or “corridors”. From then on, the complex has been creating a real “museum of natural sculptures” where you can trawl through the ancient subject to a characteristic erosion process - the karst model- forming many rock forms and cultures and enjoy very pleasant walks around the trails and routes. From the geo-morphological point of view, it consists of four well-differentiated areas: Sierra Pelada, Torcal Alto (high Torcal), Torcal Bajo (low Torcal), Tajos and Vilaneras. declaration of Special Area for Bird Protection. El Torcal hosts a large variety of flora and fauna, up to the point of having earned the INDEX 02 WORLD HERITAGE p8 There is Public Use Area in the part known as El Torcal Alto, where visitors will enjoy the following: - Visitors Centre with a Nature Interpretation Area; a a shop with local and handcraft products; a restaurant; Multiple Uses Area where a documentary is projected; an Information Point and the toilets. The building is perfectly accessible for handicapped people. - The Mirador de las Ventanillas (The little windows beautiful views of Villanueva de la Concepción town, Río viewpoint) where, by following a path, you will enjoy Campanilla district, Málaga and, on clear days, even the African Continent can be seen. - “Ruta Verde” (Green Route); a pedestrian path starting from the parking area and which goes through the El Torcal Alto; low difficulty, 45 minutes long. - “Ruta Amarilla” (Yellow Route): pedestrian route starting from the parking area and which goes through the El Torcal Alto; average difficulty, 2 hours long. - The parking area is limited but there is a bus shuttle service when it is full. INDEX 02 WORLD HERITAGE p9 LA PEÑA DE LOS ENAMORADOS (THE LOVERS’ ROCK) Bronze Age. We keep some remains of several The first settlers of this Rock were from the It is a limestone rock with the peculiar continuous settlements took us to the Roman Times through several structural remains. profile of a lying man -it seems the head types of carinated bowls and pots, big pots and jars from that period. Successive and of a lying Indian looking at the sky. The name comes from a border legend where a couple of lovers, Tello and Tagnoza (he The Abrigo de Matacabras is in was a Christian and she was a Moorish the northern part of the Peña de princess) were running away from the los Enamorados. It is a dwelling Princess’s father who wanted to catch element from Neolithic where, them. They were trapped right here and thanks to the red, white and black to avoid to be separated, they climbed to paintings, we can better understand the activities of its dwellers. the top of the rock and threw themselves from there to be eternally together. This site is evidence and a fundamental landmark because the link with the Dólmenes de Antequera Archaeological Complex, in special with the Dolmen of Menga whose central axis points directly at it. INDEX 02 WORLD HERITAGE p10 EL CAMINITO DEL REY 03. (THE KING’S PATHWAY) The original pathway was constructed in 1905 by the El Chorro Hydroelectric Company as a way to gain access between the two reservoirs so the workers could pass by. The view was so impressive when going through the pathway that very soon visitors starting to use it while in construction. In 1921, King Alfonso XIII had to cross the previously constructed pathway to inaugurate the Guadalhorce-Guadalteba Reservoirs. Since then, it started to be called “Caminito del Rey (The king’s pathway). The El Caminito del Rey (King’s path) is a passage built on the nearly vertical walls of the beautiful gorge. It is a pedestrian pathway attached to the rock, inside a spectacular canyon, with Desfiladero de los Gaitanes 105 meters in height. sections of just 1 meter in width and which is hanging over the river up to INDEX 03 EL CAMINITO DEL REY (THE KING’S PATHWAY) p11 Roma contributed to form Antequera as a 04. MONUMENTAL TOWN town, and the Arabian people soon started to conquest it.

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