Silves in Algarve virtual visit
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Walls and Gate of Almedina
Strolling through Silves is a rich experience, which marvels our senses, due to the quality of the oldest buildings and some key points of its historic centre: the 13th-century Cathedral, the castle with a Muslim foundation, and the Tower of the old door of the city. The Islamic almedina of Silves, walled since at least the 10th century, had an imposing defensive device, composed of wall cloths and at least 17 towers, 10 of which were mudflats, the rest being adjoining.
Built-in military mud and covered with blocks of red sandstone, it defended an area of around 9.75 ha. Accessible from several doors, such as Azóia (where the ruins of an eight-cornered tower persisted until 1834), the Porta do Sol, whose construction was documented by a commemorative tombstone, dated 1227 and the Porta da Almedina, the only one that remains. Its implantation followed the contour lines, the east and the north to a higher elevation, while to the south and west the half slope developed. The Islamic city also had a third line of walls (vestiges remain in the Municipal Library), which defended the eastern suburbs, as well as the armour, a fortification that went down to the river and that allowed the capture of water and later elevation until the city.
