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Origin and history

Suhamendi's dread, also called Zuharamendy, is a military fortification built between the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Located in Sare, on the peak of the Rhune at 301 meters above sea level, it is part of a network of more than twenty dreads built to defend the Franco-Spanish border, notably during the wars of the Revolution (1793-1794) and the Napoleonic countryside (1813-1814). Its star-shaped plan, adapted to flanking fire, makes it a strategic work in the defence against Anglo-Hispano-Portuguese coalition troops.

The dread was a key point during the fighting in October and November 1813, when the troops of Marshal Soult tried to contain the advance of the Duke of Wellington. On 10 Nov. 1813 it was defended by 350 soldiers of the 88th Line Regiment, who suffered five assaults before surrendering. The casualties were heavy: 200 English soldiers killed against a single French defender. The surrender was negotiated by an English colonel, highlighting the fierce fighting.

Built of dry stones without mortar, Suhamendi's dread illustrates the adaptation of fortifications to the topographical constraints of the Rhune. Its entrance, protected by a half moon, and its deep ditch made it a difficult position to take. It was restored and is now listed as a Historical Monument since 1992, reflecting the military ingenuity of the period and the conflicts that marked this border region.

The site is part of a wider set of dreads scattered over the municipalities of Sare, Ascain and Urrugne. These works, often connected by trenches, served as refuges for infantrymen and artillery support, although their counter-attack capacity was limited. Their gradual abandonment after 1814 and their varying state of conservation today make them valuable remnants of the military history of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques.

Suhamendi's dread is also linked to historical figures such as Marshal Soult, commander of the French troops, and the Duke of Wellington, leader of the coalition forces. Their confrontation in the Pyrenees in 1813-1814 marked a turning point in the Napoleonic wars, with decisive battles like that of the Nivelle (10 November 1813), where the Allies perceived the French apparatus, forcing the imperial troops to retreat towards Bayonne.

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