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Published: October 19th 2017
The Arab cistern/well in Silves seen from the top.
There is water at the bottom.
It has a diameter of 2.5 meters and is surrounded by a staircase covered with arches which communicated with the interior of the well. Probably dated 11th century, it was recovered in the 80’s. On Tuesday, we took a day trip to the very old city of Silves, about an hour from here. We took the local bus into Lagos, and then a train to Silves. It was an 30 minute from the train station to the town, but most of the walk was along a very quiet road.
"The peaceful ambiance of the town today does not reflect the historical importance of Silves, which during the North African Moor’s rule of the Algarve (700-1200 ad) was the capital and defensive stronghold of the entire region. Remnants of this illustrious era can be discovered throughout Silves, and include the huge red brick castle, the impregnable city walls and defensive gates."
The town, located on a river, was the site of a flourishing Neolithic culture, followed by the Romans, Muslims, and Christians. There have been recent excavations there that turned up artifacts from all these groups. The most striking feature of the town as you arrive is a red sandstone fort, with Roman, Muslim, and Christian history. It has been extensively restored and and is beautiful from afar as well as close up.
The Archaeological Museum is built around a Muslim well from
Lagos marina
Bill on the foot bridge, walking to the train station.. the 1200s. There are artifacts from throughout the history of the area, but the well is literally the centerpiece!
The interior of the fort has beautiful trees and an excavated Muslim residential complex, the only one found so far in Portugal. You can walk all along the walls, and the views are beautiful. "The castle dates from the 7th century but the red brick fortifications seen today originate from the 12th century, at the height of the fighting in the Algarve between the Christian Crusaders and the African Moors. The castle was the focus of numerous battles and sieges, being sacked by king Leon in 1160, sieged by the Crusaders in 1189 and recaptured by a powerful army lead by Amir al-Mu'minin in 1191. The first significant victory by the Portuguese in the Algarve is commentated by the statue of king Sancho I at the entrance to the castle that he (with a little help from the crusader army) stormed in 1189."
"The governor of Córdoba attacked Silves in 1191, and took 3,000 Christian slaves. 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." Wikipedia
On the way home we had some confusion about the train, shared with the other tourists at the station. We weren't sure which side of the tracks to wait on! While we were waiting for the train, which was late, we chatted with a couple from Vancouver BC, and watched the Roma kids play by tracks (the older boys tried to intimidate us with their bikes, riding very close to people...)
There is a large Romani, or Gypsy, population in Portugal, about 50,000 as of now. They are slowly being absorbed into mainstream society, with housing and schooling...but: "Poor education and inadequate job training, plus a lack of trust on the part of employers, contribute to high levels of unemployment among Gypsies throughout Portugal. Only about one in ten aged between 20 and 64 is in regular paid employment, concluded a recent national survey. About half of the job seekers questioned said they
had experienced discrimination because of their ethnic background. The survey indicated that more than 50% of Gypsies have had no schooling at all and are illiterate. Fewer than one in 10 has completed upper secondary education. The Gypsy leaders we spoke to wholeheartedly agree with the official view that this has to change."
On Wednesday, the expected rains finally came! It hasn't rained here for over 5 months (which is not unusual). The rains will hopefully end the horrible forest fire season here, which has caused many deaths, some just a few days ago.
When it cleared a bit, I went for a run on the trails overlooking the sea. After brunch, we went to the beach, and I was able to swim for the first time down here.
On our last full day here, we hiked the remaining headland, to the east of town. Once again, beautiful views all around...and no one on the trail!
Tomorrow we face a one hour local bus ride to Lagos, an hour wait, then an 8 bus ride to Porto, with a short break in Lisboa...bed will feel good tomorrow night...hope the apartment is quiet!
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