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Silves
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AlgarveRealty.com - Tel: +351 282 443 163 Fax: +351 282 442 349 Email: mike.sargent@mail.telepac.pt The Website for M H Sargent Soc. De Mediação Imobiliária Lda Rua 25 de Abril 7 - Silves 8300-184 Portugal Lic. N° 360-AMI © Richard Lovejoy 2002 |
With such an eventful and important past it is hardly surprising that the town is so fascinating, being particularly blessed with the substantial remains of the huge red sandstone walls of the Castle. It is a tribute to the skills of the Moors who established Silves as the capital of their province of al-Gharb somewhere between the 11th and 13th centuries although it is considered that the castle was perhaps started by the Romans or even the Visigoths. At the height of their occupation the population grew to around 30,000 people but the days of glory ended in 1189 when Dom
Sancho 1 led an army of Portuguese and Crusaders to besiege the town. Whilst the Moors managed to hold out in the castle for a few weeks with the aid of the large water cisterns and granaries within the walls, supplies eventually ran out early in the September. Little remains of the castle itself but within the walls the 1.2 hectares of grounds, planted with shady trees, shrubs and flowers are the findings of exposed archæological digs and a modern (1941) bronze statue of Dom Sancho 1. There remains a deep well of approximately 60 meters, a large water tank with four vaults supported by tall columns and spacious underground silos that sustained the towns people during the period of seige. The enormous walls of the castle have 11 towers, four of which have Gothic doorways and vaulted halls with the marks of medieval masons, these support the fact that they were remodelled in the 14th or 15th centuries. A walk around the battlements provides excellent views of the town and the surrounding countryside.
As well as the castle itself, the surrounding residential area (or “almedina”) was also protected by a smaller sandstone wall with four entry gates. Today, only one of those gates survives, the Torreào da Porta da Cidade (The Turret of the City Gate).
The other prominent feature of the town is Sé Velha (Old Cathedral) also built from the local red sandstone and possibly on the site of the Moorish mosque. The Christian structure was commenced during the late 13th to early 14th Centuries but part collapsed during the 15th Century thereby necessitating changes which appear to have continued well into the 18th Century. Surviving from the original structure is the Gothic doorway and the two buttresses for the two towers, the remainder of the façade is baroque. On the inside one may appreciate the various side chapels, many tombs and headstones as well as the paintings and carvings that are, or represent, so much of Portuguese history. 
It is difficult today to appreciate the size and importance of the River Arade in the growth and subsequent richness that was once enjoyed by Silves. For thousands of years trading boats came up the Arade from the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and by the early 14th Century the town had gained a part in the first phase of the voyages of discovery. The first voyage of reconnaissance to the islands of the Azores was made by Diogo of Silves. João do Rego, Knight of the Household of Prince Henry and Gastão da Ilha, whose name is linked with the settling of the island of Madeira are buried in the Old Cathedral. In addition it was a bishop of Silves who funded a caravel to explore the African coast, a Continent with which many important and prosperous trading links were established thereby continuing to support the importance of the Town. With the passing of time, economic, political and military influences declined as the coastal ports of Faro, Portimão and Lagos grew, which together with the silting up of the River Arade saw its maritime importance decline. The swamps that formed as a result of the silting river became a breeding bed for plague and disease, which combined with 
earthquakes sealed the decline of the Towns importance. The second half of the 19th Century saw a resurgence of prosperity with the production and sale of dried fruit and cork as Silves became the main processing centre for these products. Whilst cork continues to be grown and processed in the area the town factory Fàbrica do Inglês (the Englishman’s Factory, for it was owned by an English company) is no longer operating but has been restored and converted into a multi-purpose entertainment centre with a variety of restaurants and bars. Within the small complex is the Cork Museum, where you can see how cork is grown, processed and turned into the many items of which we are so familiar. The Museum was given due acclaim when it received the European Industrial Museum Award 2001. What was once the Manager’s house in the centre of the courtyard is now the Tea House. `Also within the complex is a stage and there are regular evening programmes of entertainment including Cybernetic Fountains and a multi-media laser show depicting the history of Silves. 
Once again the basic prosperity of the Town has moved on and today it relies upon service industries and tourism. The local Cãmara (town council) has an ongoing programme to conserve the history and heritage of the city and many improvements are presently underway or completed. None more evident is the Moorish Meditation Garden on the other side of the road from the River Arade. Sponsored by the Arab League it celebrates, on the one hand, the importance of Silves in Arab history and on the other, recognises the strength of the culture in the history of Silves. Besides three meditation rooms, miniature versions of traditional Moorish buildings, there are fountains and a meditation lake.
Just below the imposing offices of Cãmara Municipal de Silves (The Town Hall) is a delightful square off Rua 25 de Abril with a central fountain and a number of seats around the perimeter. At the rear of the square is an arcaded cloister where one of the oldest coffee shops of the Town can be found, still with original wooden floors and traditional azulejos (tiles) on the walls. To one side of the square, housed in a small Moorish style kiosk, is the tourist information office.