The Megalithic Park of Gorafe is located in the Gorafe Depression. Here the GorRiver has excavated a deep canyon, at the bottom of which the town stands in a fertile valley. In the past, most of the houses were dug out of ”caves”, the type of habitat common in the region where the limestone-clay materials permit excavation.
Here you’ll find one of greatest concentrations of dolmens, 240 in all, (Megalithic burial constructions from the Bronze Age), which, together with others to be found in the valley and on the other side of the gorge, make up one of the largest concentrations of this type of funeral monument both in Spain and in Europe.
The megalithic tombs (dolmens) of the Gorafearea are surrounded by an extraordinary landscape called Bad Lands. A significant number of the dolmens are at the edge of the plain above the canyon although there are other locations, and they were built using large pieces of a sedimentary rock called “caliche” which was obtained from the same area where they were built.
Thirty of the dolmens have been restored and they can all be visited. No. 134 is recommended because it is a special type and in a good state of repair.
This resource is part of the “Gorafe Desert Georoute”, together with the Megalithic Visitor Centre in Gorafe and other natural resources of extraordinary interest.
Source https://www.andalucia.org/en/gorafe-cultural-tourism-parque-megalitico-de-gorafe
The photos below show the area around Gorafe and the megalithic monuments. Firstly, a number of monuments on the plateau (bottom right on the map, near the Mirador de Olivares). The other photos show the area top left on the map near Cuesta de Guadix. This is where you will find the most famous monument, No. 134
The photos below show the plateau in between, up left in the map near Cuesta de Guadix. Here you also find the most famous one, number 134.
All photos by Jaap van der Goot
