Megalithic Circuit of Evora / Monsaraz

When we were leaving our hotel in Coimbra, the front desk gentleman inquired where we were going next.  We mentioned we were planning on spending the day in Obidos, then heading to Evora.  He insisted that we visit a small community called Monsaraz outside of Evora -- he swore it would be unforgettable!

Evora sits close to the center of where the drainage basins of the three largest rivers in Portugal touch.  This made Evora an essential meeting point to the early megalithic tribes who travelled the rivers for transportation, food, and trade.  To mark this important tribal meeting point, many megaliths were built in this area.  Today you can visit more than 10 megalithic enclosures, more than 100 isolated menhirs, about 800 dolmens and close to 450 megalithic settlements. In addition to these, there are about 100 rocks with dimples (their functionality is still a mystery).

The Almendres Megalithic settlement (or cromlech) is the biggest megalithic monument in the Iberian Peninsula and one of the oldest in the world. Everybody has heard about Stonehenge, in Britain… The Almendres monument is 2000 years older! It was built about 7000 years ago, when mankind in Western Europe was making the transition from hunter-gatherers to herders and farmers.

The menhir in Almendres is one of the many menhirs in the region. It is shaped like an elongated egg and has a crosier (staff) engraved in on the top which represents the importance of nature in neolithic times, especially in regards to the domestication of animals. Several other stones of the Almendres Cromlech have embossed decorations which also remind us of ploughing and cattle raising. Other predominant engravings on the menhirs of this monument are wavy and radial lines, circles and dimples. Today there are over 95 standing stones of the original 100 or so that were originally placed here.

The drive between the sites through the countryside was quite interesting as well.  We passed thru

several cork forests where you can see where the cork bark has been cut from the trees. The bark can be harvested every 9 years so you can see a number painted on many of the trees that indicates the year it was last harvested.  To Lori and I, it looked a lot like how we imagine the African Savannah might look like -- hot, dry, and with weirdly shapes tree dotting the landscape.

Leaving the stone circles, we drove to another famous megalithic site.  The Great Dolmen of Zambujeiro was built around 6000-7000 years ago (3000 BCE) making it Europe's oldest dolmen. It is theorized to have been a cemetery or burial center due to the large amount of grave goods found there that are now housed in the Evora museum.  The Great Dolmen is about 15' high, 26' long, and 14' wide, It is made up of about 15 granite slabs arranged in a ring, capped by a huge granite slab.  It is fairly accessible -- you just need to drive through part of an Agricultural school, down a dirt road with faded wooden signs pointing directions, the park in a small field and follow a dirt path through the Olive groves to the site.

After leaving the megaliths, we headed past Evora to Monsaraz. Monsaraz shows signs of having been a fortified settlement during prehistoric times. It has always had strong military and religious influences and has maintained its medieval image until today.

This small village is located on the top of a hill and overlooks the river Guadiana and the border with Spain, making it a highly value military location. Once called Saris or Sarish, Monsaraz was taken from the Muslims by Geraldo Sem Pavor (Fearless Geraldo), in 1167, in a military incursion departing from Evora.

After passing back and forth into and out of the hands of the Moors and the Portugese, in 1232 the Portugese King Sancho II recovered it for the final time. To thank the Templars for their help and support, he donated the village to the Templars for perpetuity. The marks left by the Templar Order, later the Order of Christ, can still be seen among the castle walls.

Monsaraz is surrounded by a protective wall and has four big doors where you can enter the village. The main one, Porta da Vila (Village Door), is protected by two semi-cylindrical towers. Above its gothic arch, it has a memorial stone dedicated to the Immaculate Conception put there by King João IV in 1646. The Porta d’Évora (Evora Door), on the North side of the wall, also has a gothic arch and is protected by a cubic turret. As for the other doors, d’Alcoba and Buraco, they have a full arch.

As you follow the walls of the city and explore the winding streets, you eventually come to the Monsaraz Castle. Built by King Dinis, in the 14th century, it is classified as a National Monument of Portugal. Around 1830, and after its military functions stopped, the old Praça de Armas (formation ground) of the castle started to be used as a bullfighting ring. Today, it still acts as a bull-fighting ring during the annual festival of Nosso Senhor Jesus dos Passos.

From the castle, you can see the lake formed by the Alqueva Dam. This lake is the largest artificial lake in Europe and forms part of the border of Spain and Portugal.