Castelo de Silves

At the top of Silves, the Castle preserves the most visible presence of the former Islamic city. Classified as a National Monument since 1910, it is presented by Património Cultural as one of the principal Muslim fortifications in Portuguese territory. Its construction dates back to the beginnings of Islamic rule in the Peninsula, with archaeological finds dated to the 8th and 9th centuries; in the 11th century, when Silves gained great importance and was the capital of a taifa under Al-Mutamid, the general layout of the enclosure was established. The alcazaba, built in military rammed earth faced with Silves sandstone, has an irregular plan and eleven quadrangular towers, two of them albarrã towers. Inside, the Cisterna da Moura, dated to the 11th century, stands out for its scale: it covers around 820 square metres and rises to a height of ten metres. The reddish walls, wall-walks and archaeological remains allow medieval Silves to be read in stone.