City of Silves | |
|---|---|
  _(cropped).jpg)  .JPG) | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 | |
| Coordinates:37°11′13″N8°26′20″W / 37.18694°N 8.43889°W /37.18694; -8.43889 | |
| Country |  Portugal |
| Region | Algarve |
| Intermunic. comm. | Algarve |
| District | Faro |
| Parishes | 6 |
| Government | |
| • President | Rosa Palma (CDU) |
| 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 | 54.592/km2 (141.39/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+00:00 (WET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+01:00 (WEST) |
| Website | http://www.cm-silves.pt |
Silves (Portuguese pronunciation:[ˈsiɫ.vɨʃ]ⓘ), officially theCity of Silves (Portuguese:Cidade de Silves), is a city andmunicipality in thePortuguese region ofAlgarve, in southern Portugal.[1] The population of the entire municipality of Silves in 2011 was 37,126,[2] in an area of 680.06 km2.[3] The urbanized area of the city proper has approximately 11,000 inhabitants. Silves is the former capital of theKingdom of the Algarve (1249–1910), a nominal kingdom within theKingdom of Portugal (1139–1910), and is of great historical importance.[4]
The region of Silves has been inhabited since thePalaeolithic, as attested by archaeological remains, including severalmenhirs. Theriver 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 ofRoman domination, when the region was part of theLusitania province. It was probably aLusitanian Castro in pre-Roman times;[5] however the region was also settled by other Indo-European tribes, such as theCeltici andCynetes (or Conii). Silves was once also part of theVisigothic Kingdom (418–c. 721).
After 713, whenthe Moors invaded Iberia, Silves became part of the UmayyadEmirate of Córdoba under the Arabic name ofShilb (شلب). In the 10th century it was one of the most important towns in westernAl-Andalus. Silves became anindependent taifa in 1027 under the rule of Ibn Mozaine and his son, who was dethroned in 1051 by al-Mu'tadid, the governor ofSeville.Al-Mu'tamid ibn Abbad, the son of al-Mu'tadid and a famous poet, ruled the taifa of Silves until 1091. After theAlmoravid conquest the town becameAlmohad in 1156.
In 1189, KingSancho I of Portugal conquered the town with the aid of Northern European crusaders.[6] Sancho ordered the fortification of the city and built a castle, which is today an important monument of Portuguese heritage. At the time he also styled himself "By the Grace of God, King of Portugal and Silves (Dei Gratiæ, Rex Portugalliæ et Silbis). However, he soon lost the town again to the Almohads aftersieges in 1190 and 1191. Periodic raiding expeditions were sent fromAl-Andalus to ravage the Iberian Christian kingdoms, bringing back booty and slaves. The governor ofCórdoba attacked Silves in 1191, and took 3,000 Christian slaves.[7] In 1197, the city wasattacked by German crusaders, but did not permanently change hands.
The town was finally taken from the last Muslim king Ibn Afan byPaio Peres Correia, Grand-Master of theOrder of Santiago in 1242, after theAlentejo and most of the coast had already fallen in 1238. The greatmosque was changed intoSilves Cathedral (Sé Catedral). Silves declined in importance thereafter and was eclipsed in the region byFaro during thecolonial period. In 1491, the town of Silves was given to queenEleanora by her husband, kingJohn II of Portugal.
.JPG)
In the 19th century, Silves became an important centre for the Portuguesecork industry. The industry's decline began after cork factory workers, instigated bycommunist andanarcho-syndicalist organizations resorting to coercion at gunpoint, supported the failedPortuguese general strike of 1934, after which the authoritarianEstado Novo regime retaliated by effectively closing down the industry in the town.[8]
In the 21st century, the municipality became host to the Iberian Lynx National Breeding Center (Silves' Center).
Parts of the Almohad town wall, constructed from poured concrete, have been preserved, as well as the Almedina-gate (Porta deLoulé). Other sights include the Santa Misericórdia Church with a fine door inManueline style (the main body of the church was built in 1727–28); a museum forcork 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 thepalaeolithic onwards.
The town is situated on a hill above theArade River.Silves Castle is located on the top of the hill. It occupies ca. 12,000 m2. Archaeologicalexcavations have shown that the oldest buildings date back to the 8th century, thestratigraphy is almost 6 m deep and containsIron Age remains as well. Silves Castle is widely regarded as the finest example of Arab military architecture in Portugal.[9] The walls are made of redsandstone (grés de Silves) with apisé-core and were heavily restored in the 1940s. Protruding towers of thealbarra-type protect the Northern slope. After the Christian conquest, the castle served as the seat of the alcaide-mor (provincial governor) until the middle of the 16th century; afterwards the towers were used as a prison.
Silves Cathedral was built in 1189 where an old mosque used to stand. It combinesBaroque andGothic styles.[9] Inside there are tombs of local bishops and dignitaries, as well as tombs of some of theCrusaders who fought here against theMoors all those years ago.[10]
Igreja da Misericórdia de Silves is church across from the cathedral with specific door from the 16th century in the Manueline style. It is placed halfway up the building. Inside the church is huge altarpiece from the 17th century.[9]
The Roman Bridge, or Ponte Romana Bridge holds a significant place in history. It is believed to have been built back when the Romans were in charge. This sturdy stone bridge stretches right over the Rio Arade, standing as a strong reminder ofRoman architecture.[9]
Opened in 1990, the Silves Municipal Archaeological Museum is located just belowSilves Cathedral andSilves Castle. The museum is built over an 18-meter-deep, 4-meter-wide well that dates from the Almohad establishment of the city in the 11th century. The site was formerly occupied by a 19th-century residence before the building was demolished to form the museum.[11]
Cruz de Portugal is a significant religious monument encapsulating Silves’ Christian history. It is crafted from white limestone and adorned with intricate carvings, its exact origins are unknown, with estimates placing it from the late 14th to the late 15th century. It is widely believed to have been gifted to Silves by D. Manuel I in 1499. The cross, standing at 3 meters and showcasingChrist crucified and aPietà, is an example ofGothic style. Over the years, the cross has moved around the city, settling in its current 19th-century location in 1957, surrounded by a garden.[9]
The municipality is crossed by theArade River, which was navigable in historical times and was key to the prosperity of the city of Silves. The waters of the river form thereservoirs of Arade and Funcho. The landscape of the municipality is generally hilly. To the south the municipality borders theAtlantic Ocean.
Silves is built on top of one of the largestaquifers in the south of Portugal, The Querença-Silves Aquifer[1], and has many orange groves, a fruit introduced by the Moors.
Silves is about 15 kilometers north of the nearest stretch of Algarve coast, 20 kilometers northeast ofPortimão and 62 kilometers northwest ofFaro International Airport by road.
Silves has aMediterranean climate (Köppen:Csa) with hot, very dry summers and mild, wet winters. The climate in the municipality of Silves is slightly more continentalized than the Algarvian coast, leading temperatures to be higher during the day and lower during the night in every season of the year. Temperatures in the winter vary between 17 °C (63 °F) during the day and 5–6 °C (41–43 °F) at night. Temperatures in the summer vary between 30–31 °C (86–88 °F) during the day and 15–17 °C (59–63 °F) at night.
| Climate data forTunes, Silves, 1980-1998, altitude: 56 m (184 ft) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 23.5 (74.3) | 27.0 (80.6) | 27.6 (81.7) | 30.5 (86.9) | 34.0 (93.2) | 37.6 (99.7) | 42.8 (109.0) | 39.2 (102.6) | 41.0 (105.8) | 33.0 (91.4) | 29.2 (84.6) | 26.5 (79.7) | 42.8 (109.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 16.4 (61.5) | 17.2 (63.0) | 19.8 (67.6) | 20.6 (69.1) | 23.3 (73.9) | 27.6 (81.7) | 31.1 (88.0) | 31.0 (87.8) | 28.7 (83.7) | 24.1 (75.4) | 20.1 (68.2) | 17.7 (63.9) | 23.1 (73.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 10.7 (51.3) | 11.5 (52.7) | 13.7 (56.7) | 14.8 (58.6) | 17.3 (63.1) | 21.0 (69.8) | 23.7 (74.7) | 23.7 (74.7) | 21.9 (71.4) | 18.0 (64.4) | 14.6 (58.3) | 12.2 (54.0) | 16.9 (62.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 4.8 (40.6) | 5.9 (42.6) | 7.5 (45.5) | 8.9 (48.0) | 11.3 (52.3) | 14.4 (57.9) | 16.4 (61.5) | 16.4 (61.5) | 15.1 (59.2) | 11.9 (53.4) | 8.9 (48.0) | 6.7 (44.1) | 10.7 (51.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −3.5 (25.7) | −3.8 (25.2) | −1.3 (29.7) | −1.0 (30.2) | 3.5 (38.3) | 6.0 (42.8) | 7.0 (44.6) | 8.0 (46.4) | 6.0 (42.8) | 1.0 (33.8) | −1.0 (30.2) | −3.5 (25.7) | −3.8 (25.2) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 65.9 (2.59) | 55.3 (2.18) | 31.4 (1.24) | 43.5 (1.71) | 31.1 (1.22) | 5.5 (0.22) | 1.8 (0.07) | 2.8 (0.11) | 21.0 (0.83) | 49.6 (1.95) | 109.3 (4.30) | 106.4 (4.19) | 523.6 (20.61) |
| Average rainy days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 7.3 | 8.0 | 5.9 | 8.5 | 5.0 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 6.4 | 8.9 | 9.4 | 64.2 |
| Source:Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera[12] | |||||||||||||
Administratively, the municipality is divided into 6 civil parishes (freguesias):[13]
The activities linked to the secondary sector play a very important role in the municipality's economy. Thecork and extractive industries are the main activities. Theextractive industry emerged in theMetal Age and is linked to the beginning of an old tradition inmetallurgy in the area, and the cork industry, implemented in the second half of the nineteenth century, triggered the economic and urban development of Silves. The agricultural area occupies about 10.3% of the municipality, being typical the cultivation of cereals for grain, nuts, citrus fruits including famed orange orchards, meadows, permanent pastures, fallow and olive groves. The municipality of Silves, where important part of the Algarve's citrus fruit production is concentrated, has created an Orange Route (Rota da Laranja), with different routes through the area. The Orange Route provides the visitor with several suggestions and agents that allow them to build a route that covers all stages of orange production, from the orchard to its packaging. This route has partnerships with some local producers who are available to welcome the public and provide several experiences in their orchards. There visitors can find gastronomic, cultural, landscape, accommodation, thematic itineraries, among other experiences. As for livestock, poultry, sheep and pigs stand out as the main species raised. Silves has a low forest density, little over 15% (15.1%) of the usable agricultural area, corresponding to 11,187 hectares. The city of Silves proper attracts many visitors due toits ancient castle and other urban attractions. The annual Medieval Fair in the historical neighborhoods of Silves near the castle is one of the biggest and most visited summer festivals in the Algarve. Near the coast, inArmação de Pêra and its beaches, tourism is very important during summertime in terms of number of visitors and revenue.
The city has kindergartens and elementary schools. Besides the local state-runsecondary school,Deutsche Schule Algarve, a German international school, is also in the municipality of Silves,[14] as well as a branch of theInstituto Piaget, a higher education institution.
.png)
_julesvernex2-2.jpg)
![The historical Cathedral of Silves with Manueline portico]]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aCatedral_de_Silves.JPG)
| Municipality ofFaro District (Algarve) |
|
|---|
.png) |  | .png) | .png) |  | .png) |  | .png) |  |  | .png) | .png) | .png) | .png) | .png) | .png) |
| Albufeira | Alcoutim | Aljezur | Castro Marim | Faro | Lagoa | Lagos | Loulé | Monchique | Olhão | Portimão | São Brás de Alportel | Silves | Tavira | Vila do Bispo | Vila Real de Santo António |
Parishes ofSilves Municipality | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
