Are you busy working on that Excel report and dreaming about your next vacation? Then take a look at what the Algarve has to offer beyond beautiful beaches and plan those well-deserved vacations.
Read the text below from the Silves City Council about one of the architectural beauties of the Algarve: the Silves Castle.
“The Silves Castle is one of the most notable works of military architecture left by the Arabs among us, with over a thousand years of existence.
This fortification is located at the highest point of the hill on which the city is situated. It forms an irregular polygon, surrounded by a strong wall made of rammed earth, covered with red sandstone – the sandstone of Silves, and occupies a total area of about 12,000m2.
Deeply devastated by numerous earthquakes, it underwent restoration works in the 1940s, assuming its current appearance through the intervention promoted within the framework of Development Plans.
Still on its exterior, near the main entrance, you can find a bronze sculpture representing King D. Sancho I, the monarch who, in 1189, conquered the city of Silves from the Arabs for the first time with the help of the Crusaders.
Access to this citadel is made through a double door with an atrium, flanked by two of the eleven towers that connect a patrol path with a linear extension of 388 meters, constituting an important defensive system.
In the northern area of the wall, we find a secondary access, designated as the Betrayal Gate, a small loophole that allowed passage through the wall, discreetly and independently from the citadel to the Medina.
Inside the Castle, there are several noteworthy elements, among which stands out the Aljibe – a large rectangular cistern that supplied water to a significant part of the city.
With a length of 20m and a width of 16m, its ceiling is seven meters high and is closed by four barrel vaults, placed side by side to facilitate water ventilation, supported by six central columns and another six attached to the walls.
Another element you may find is the Cistern of the Dogs, an immense well over 40 meters deep from which various fragments of medieval ceramics, including jars from the Islamic occupation period, were excavated.
Near this well, there were silos where cereals collected from the many tributes that the powers, Muslim or Christian, imposed on the hardworking producers were stored, taking advantage of the coolness of the subsoil.
This is how they were stored for years, prolonging the resistance and autonomy of this military fortress.
In a vast area located to the east, several archaeological campaigns culminated in the discovery of structures of a dwelling from the Almohad Period (1121 – 1269), which would consist of two floors, an inner garden, and a complex of baths, believed to be a Palace, once the residence of high Muslim dignitaries.
Built during the Almohad rule, this Palace was inhabited for over a century.
After the Christian occupation, and due to a clear incompatibility of lifestyles, it was abandoned after a fire devastated it.
Contacts:
Silves Castle – 8300-117 – Silves Phone: 282 440 837 Email: castelo@cm-silves.pt
Opening hours:
Open every day (except Christmas Day and New Year’s Day) Winter schedule: January to April | October to December: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm Summer schedule: 9:00 am – 8:00 pm (last entry until half an hour before closing)
Pricing:
Single ticket price: €2.80 Combined ticket for Castle and Municipal Archaeology Museum: €3.90 Price for groups of more than 20 people: €2.20 Children, students, holders of Youth Card and > 65 (enjoy a 50% discount on the normal ticket price): €1.40
Georeferencing:
Latitude: 37°11’26.78″N | Longitude: 8°26’16.89″W”.
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Source: Silves City Council
Keywords: Algarve, Gabi Miguel, Holiday Rentals, Silves, Silves’ Castle