Silves, Portugal

Silves
Silves
Settlement
	A panorama of Silves, showing the Moorish Castle
	Flag Coat of arms
Country	Portugal
Region	Algarve
Intermunic. comm.	Algarve
District	Faro
Area
• Total	680.06 km2 (262.57 sq mi)
Elevation	34 m (112 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	37,126
• Density	55/km2 (140/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC±00:00 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+01:00 (WEST)
Website	http://www.cm-silves.pt

Silves (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈsiɫvɨʃ]) is a municipality in the Portuguese Algarve of southern Portugal.^[1] The population in 2011 was 37,126,^[2] in an area of 680.06 km².^[3] The urbanized area includes approximately 11,000 inhabitants. Silves is the former capital of the Algarve and is of great historical importance.^[4]

History

The region of Silves has been inhabited since the Palaeolithic, as attested by archaeological remains, including several menhirs. The river Arade, which was navigable in historical times, linked the hinterland to the open ocean and allowed the transport of produce and commerce. The town of Silves (Cilpes) was possibly founded during the times of Roman domination, when the region was part of the Lusitania province. It was probably a Lusitanian Castro in the pre-roman times,^[5] however the region was also settled by other indo-european tribes, just like the Celtici and Cynetes(or Conii). Silves was also part of the Visigothic Kingdom.

After 713, when the Moors invaded Iberia, Silves became part of the Umayyad Emirate of Córdoba under the Arabic name of Shilb (شلب). In the 10th century it was one of the most important towns of western Al-Andalus. Silves became an independent taifa in 1027 under the rule of Ibn Mozaine and his son, who was dethroned in 1051 by al-Mu'tadid, the governor of Seville. al-Mu'tamid ibn 'Abbad, the son of al-Mu'tadid and a famous poet, ruled the taifa of Silves until 1091. After the Almoravid conquest the town became Almohad in 1156. In 1189 King Sancho I of Portugal conquered (in the Reconquista) the town with the aid of Northern European crusaders,^[6] but lost it again to the Almohads. Periodic raiding expeditions were sent from Al-Andalus to ravage the Iberian Christian kingdoms, bringing back booty and slaves. The governor of Córdoba attacked Silves in 1191, and took 3,000 Christian slaves.^[7] Again under Muslim rule, the city would then prosper to the point of being called the Baghdad of the West.

The town was finally taken from the last Muslim king Ibn Afan by Paio Peres Correia, Grand-Master of the Order of Santiago in 1242, after the Alentejo and most of the coast had already fallen in 1238. The great mosque was changed into Silves Cathedral (Sé Catedral). Silves declined in importance thereafter and was eclipsed in the region by Faro during the colonial period. In 1491, the town of Silves was given to queen Eleanora by his husband, king John II of Portugal.

Parts of the Almohad town wall, constructed from poured concrete, have been preserved, as well as the Almedina-gate (Porta de Loulé). Other sights include the Santa Misericórdia Church with a fine door in Manueline style (the main body of the church was built in 1727-28); a museum for cork and the production of bottle corks in a defunct factory which is now also a centre for cultural events called "Fábrica do Inglês (The Englishman's Factory); and the municipal museum (Museu Municipal de Arqueologia) with findings from the palaeolithic onwards.

The town is situated on a hill above the Arade River. Silves Castle is located on the top of the hill. It occupies ca. 12,000m². Archaeological excavations have shown that the oldest buildings date back to the 8th century, the stratigraphy is almost 6m deep and contains Iron Age remains as well. The walls are made of red sandstone (grés de Silves) with a pisé-core and have been heavily restored in the 1940s. Protruding towers of albarra-type protect the Northern slope. After the Christian conquest, the castle served as the seat of the alcaide-mor (provincial governor) till the middle of the 16th century, afterwards the towers were used as a prison.

Geography

The municipality is crossed by the Arade River, which was navigable in historical times and was key to the prosperity of the city of Silves. The waters of the river form the dams of Arade and Funcho. The landscape of the municipality is generally hilly. To the south the municipality borders the Atlantic Ocean.

Silves is built on top of one of the largest underground aquifers in the south of Portugal, The Querença-Silves Aquifer [1], and has many orange groves, a fruit introduced by the Moors.

Human geography

Population of
Silves
(1801 - 2011)
Year	Pop.	±%
1801	10,509	—
1849	15,509	+47.6%
1900	29,598	+90.8%
1930	34,461	+16.4%
1960	33,368	−3.2%
1981	31,389	−5.9%
1991	32,924	+4.9%
2001	33,830	+2.8%
2004	34,909	+3.2%
2011	37,126	+6.4%