ENPI UMAYYAD ALGARVE TOURIST OFFICES PROJECT · ALCOUTIM Aljezur, a name of Arabic origin...

THE UMAYYAD ROUTE IN THE ALGARVE

This cultural and tourist route seeks to impart the

deep human, cultural, artistic and scientific

relationship established between the East and West,

and the handover of the Greco-Roman legacy to

Europe through Al-Andalus.

The Portuguese territory of the Algarve has the

longest-standing Muslim diachrony, with the name

"Algarve" originating from the Arabic term al-Gharb

(west), an example of etymology speaking directly to

us about a region's past.

The Algarve's geographic boundary corresponds to

the area which once belonged to the Visigothic

provincial diocese in the 6th century, and later to the

kūra, the Islamic province of Ossonoba, in the 8th to

13th centuries.

The Visigothic diocese of Ossonoba was conquered in

the early 8th century (713) for the Umayyad

caliphate of Damascus, by the troops of 'Abd al-'Azīz,

son of Mūsa, governor of Ifrīqiya (modern-day

Tunisia).

The Umayyad realm in the Mediterranean and the

Algarve was an important time of economic and

cultural prosperity that left an indelible trace on

Portuguese culture.

The Algarve's Umayyad legacy highlights the

vestiges of urban walls and of husun, fortified

palatine clusters owned by clan groups who

dominated a territory and its natural resources.

There are also a number of memorial locations which,

lacking a physical record, clearly stand out as

intangible heritage. In addition, archaeological

remains are displayed in museums, or at museum

hubs, throughout the entire region.

The Umayyad route in the Algarve is a trip along the

region's ancient pathways, with several of the

Algarve's most authentic, archetypal locales in terms

of landscape and culture.

Along this route, travellers will enjoy a wide diversity

of landscapes in an area with three different

geomorphological zones: mountains, Algarve

barrocal and coastline, with areas of reserves,

natural parks and protected landscapes, together

with countless classified sites that will delight nature

lovers. The local cuisine and age-old traditions still

found in today's Algarve help to round out an

enriching – and certainly unforgettable – cultural

journey.

Alcoutim

Tavira

Cacela Velha

Vila Real deSanto António

Vilamoura

Faro

Silves

Estói

São Brás de Alportel

Martinlongo

Monchique

Vila do Bispo

Aljezur

Alvor

UMAYYAD ROUTE MAP IN THE ALGARVE

FINANCED BY: PROMOTED BY:

The Umayyad Route in the Algarve is part of the

international “Umayyad” project. Umayyad is a project

co-funded by the European Neighbourhood and

Partnership Instrument (ENPI) program in the area of

Cross Border Cooperation in the Mediterranean (CBC

Med), aimed at encouraging multilateral cooperation

between Europe and other countries located along the

Mediterranean coast.

Led by the “El legado andalusí” public foundation

(Spain), its partners in Portugal include the Algarve

Regional Cultural Office and the Algarve Regional

Tourism Entity, together with entities from five other

Mediterranean basin countries: Italy, Tunisia, Egypt,

Lebanon and Jordan.

The purpose of the project is to create a major cross-

border tourist route – the Umayyad Route – subdivided

into national routes in each partner country. The

collection of routes have the common denominator of the

rich heritage handed down by the Umayyad dynasty

during its period of 8th-century Mediterranean

expansion.

The “Umayyad” project's plan includes coordinated

activities in each of the seven member countries, such as

action plans to structure and enhance the route,

awareness and training initiatives targeting local tourism

and cultural agents, and actions to publicize and promote

the route among local and international tourism

operators.

These project activities are aimed at creating greater

territorial consistency through a sustainable and

responsible tourism and cultural route which optimizes

accessibility and relationships between Mediterranean

basin countries.

ALGARVE TOURIST OFFICESENPI �UMAYYAD� PROJECT

Aeroporto Internacional de Faro8001 – 701 Faro Tel.: 289 818 [email protected]

AlbufeiraRua 5 de Outubro8200 – 109 AlbufeiraTel.: 289 585 [email protected]

AlcoutimRua 1.º de Maio 8970 – 059 AlcoutimTel.: 281 546 [email protected]

AljezurRua 25 de Abril, n.º 628670 – 054 AljezurTel.: 282 998 [email protected]

AlvorRua Dr. Afonso Costa, n.º 518500 – 016 AlvorTel.: 282 457 [email protected]

Armação de PêraAvenida Marginal8365 - 101 Armação de PêraTel.: 282 312 [email protected]

CarvoeiroPraia do Carvoeiro8400 – 517 Lagoa Tel.: 282 357 [email protected]

Castro MarimRua José Alves Moreira n.º 2 – 4 8950 – 138 Castro MarimTel.: 281 531 [email protected]

FaroRua da Misericórdia, n.º 8 – 118000– 269 FaroTel.: 289 803 [email protected]

Lagos Praça Gil Eanes (Antigos Paços do Concelho)8600 - 668 LagosTel.: 282 763 [email protected]

LouléAvenida 25 de Abril, n.º 9 8100 – 506 LouléTel.: 289 463 [email protected]

MonchiqueLargo S. Sebastião8550 – 000 MonchiqueTel.: 282 911 [email protected]

Monte GordoAvenida Marginal8900 - 000 Monte GordoTel.: 281 544 [email protected]

OlhãoLargo Sebastião Martins Mestre, n.º 8 A8700 – 349 OlhãoTel.: 289 713 [email protected]

Ponte Internacional do GuadianaA22 – Monte Francisco8950 - 206 Castro MarimTel.: 281 531 [email protected]

Praia da RochaAvenida Tomás Cabreira8500 – 802 Praia da RochaTel.: 282 419 [email protected]

QuarteiraPraça do Mar8125 - 193 QuarteiraTel.: 289 389 [email protected]

SagresRua Comandante Matoso8650 – 357 Sagres Tel.: 282 624 [email protected]

São Brás de AlportelLargo de São Sebastião, n.º 238150 – 107 São Brás de AlportelTel. 289 843 [email protected]

Silves E. N. 124 (Parque das Merendas)8300 – 000 SilvesTel.: 282 098 [email protected]

TaviraPraça da República, n.º 58800 – 329 TaviraTel.: 281 322 [email protected]

ALCOUTIM

Aljezur, a name of Arabic origin (al-Jazīra, the island), reveals

the fact that the foundation area on the castle hill was once

surrounded by water. The castle may have started as a rustic

home with a defensive tower, or just a rural fence at the highest

part of the hilltop, built during Umayyad times. The castle

overlooks the wetlands irrigated by the Aljezur Stream, the

urban expansion around the new church (late 18th century),

the Espinhaço de Cão Mountains and the Atlantic Coast.

In Arrifana, visit the Ribate da Arrifana archaeological site, the

monastery/fortress where Sufi master Ibn Qasī from Silves

wrote a major portion of his mystical work during a spiritual

retreat.

ALJEZUR

Little is known of the Islamic city of Al-Būr, an Arabic name

which replaced the Latinized name of Ipsa (Ipses).

In the Castle Square, a small hisn protects the fishing village

against incoming enemies from the beach. The castle's origin

may be tied to the late Umayyad emirate or early Umayyad

caliphate, due to the square layout of the property and the

apparatus used. The people of Al-Būr enjoyed the productivity

of the Alvor Ria, a humid area formed by the merging

waterways from the southern slopes of the Monchique

Mountains. Here, the ria cuts the coastal landscape, marked by

the shapes and colours of the seacliffs.

ALVOR

CABO DE SÃO VICENTE

CACELA-VELHA

Estói is located on a hillside in the transition zone between the

coast and the Algarve barrocal. The scale of human occupation

has remained controlled and contained. Its buildings have

characteristics of the late 18th, late 19th and early 20th

centuries with stonework, platband and mass features.

The Roman ruins of Milreu remained occupied during Umayyad

times, including a large-sized manor house, farming facilities,

bathhouse and temple.

The palace of Estói, with its gardens, fountains and statues, is a

noteworthy example of architectural heritage of marked

eclecticism, and the most significant expression of

Romanticism in the Algarve.

ESTÓI

FARO

Near Monchique, the Alferce Castle is a Bronze-Age settlement

which continued to be occupied at least until the end of the

Umayyad emirate era, which served as a hisn or refuge in the

8th century. The site was most likely abandoned in the 11th

century.

Protected by the surrounding hills, the Alferce Castle covers an

extensive area from a high hilltop in the eastern Picota

Mountains. It offers a broad panoramic view all the way to the

coast.

MONCHIQUE

This typical Algarve mountain town has streets of low

whitewashed houses attached to buildings with façades adorned

with tile, fine stonework and iron balconies.

São Brás de Alportel is surrounded by hills abounding in rockroses,

cork oaks and strawberry trees. In Islamic times, it was likely a

fortified settlement.

SÃO BRÁS DE ALPORTEL

The Islamic medina, much like the modern city, overlooked the

right bank of the Arade River, protected by the surrounding

highlands. Silves, with its powerful defences, river port, rich

bazaar, abundant woodlands and gardens, and a population

originating from Yemen speaking the purest Arabic, began to

dominate the Algarve in the second half of the 10th century,

sometimes even with an autonomous kingdom, and always with a

consecrated intellectual centre. The court of governor and poet Al-

Mu'tamid, the future Abbadid king of Seville, represents the city's

union of economic pomp and intellectual splendour at the time.

SILVES

TAVIRA

Built in 1774 in the desert sands near the mouth of the Guadiana

River to control Algarve fishing, it is a compelling example of the

rationality of enlightened urbanism and the only case of an “ex

novo” city from the time of the Marquis of Pombal.

Once travellers cross the border, they will find near the Guadiana

River the salt flats of the Castro Marim and Vila Real de Santo

António Marsh Natural Reserve, and can choose to start the

Umayyad Route by following the course of the river.

Over the course of their journey, they will discover castles and

fortresses which arose during the territorial battles to establish

the Portuguese/Spanish border (Castelo de Castro Marim, Forte

de São Sebastião), along with rustic villages.

VILA REAL DE SANTO ANTÓNIO

VILAMOURA

Nestled in a small valley between two waterways, the Cadavais

Stream and the Guadiana River, Alcoutim stands out for the

harmony of its whitewashed houses with the river and

surrounding highlands.

In this pleasant border town, there is a small Umayyad estate

built of schist and graywacke. Its

archaeological evidence traces it

back to the 9th century,

although there are no

k n o w n m e d i e v a l

d o c u m e n t s w i t h

r e f e r e n c e s t o t h i s

magnificent structure.

The town's castle was

erected during the 14th

century for reasons of strategic

defence and the integrity of the

national territory, and houses the world's largest known

collection of Umayyad-period board games.

Starting in the early 12th century, Muslim Tavira became an

important maritime trading post.

Two factors made its port one of the Algarve's most defensible: the

bar at the time was located near the fortress settlement of Cacela,

at the end of a long stretch of water

which ships had to traverse

before firing weapons near

the city walls; also, its

strategic position gave it

command of one of the

Algarve's oldest bridges,

which in this case crossed

over the Gilão River and

gave continuity to the

east/west road from Seville

to S i lves, bypass ing the

impassible mountain lands.

Cape St. Vincent is the westernmost point of continental

Europe. The landscape has a steep coastline, covered in rough

vegetation, punctuated by capes and rock constantly battered

by the wind, in a natural setting of rare beauty and quality.

Age-old tradition associates this point with the tomb of St.

Vincent Martyr, rescued, on the coast, in the 4th century, after a

tormented journey from the place of his martyrdom. The body

was laid to rest at the Church of Corvo, which al-Idrisi (12th

century) called Kaniçat al-Ghurab.

The church, during Umayyad times, quickly became a major

Mozarabic Christian and even Muslim

pilgrimage centre. Today, it is

merely a place of memory,

without vestiges.

Travellers can feel the

mys t i ca l f o r ce s t i l l

emanating today from

parts of the cape in places

such as the Fortresses of

Sagres, St. Vincent Cape and

Beliche, or even in a foray

through the territory's impressive

collection of menhirs which date from the early Neolithic

period, the sixth century before the Christian era.

Vilamoura, born half a century ago out of the old Quinta do

Morgado in Quarteira, has risen to become Europe's largest luxury

tourist complex, holding within the memories of its distant past.

The archaeological site of Cerro da Vila is located before the

modern and lively Vilamoura Marina, and was discovered in 1963

while a tractor was working the fields.

In Umayyad times, the residential, port and agricultural

structures of the ancient Roman villa were occupied by people

who divided their time between seafaring

and agricultural pursuits.

In the mid-11th century, the

residential complex was

finally abandoned, due to

maritime piracy and to the

p o r t ' s p r o g r e s s i v e

siltation.

Vilamoura also serves as a

starting point for discovering

Loulé and its Almohad walls and

baths.

The richness and prosperity of the Islamic city of Faro were

leveraged by the navigability of its port and the productivity of

its surroundings.

The port extended over the entire current square facing Vila-a-

Dentro, with the waters of spring tides

bathing the city walls and creating

a swamp area, in large part

t o d a y ' s y a r d o f S ã o

Francisco and Manuel

Bívar garden.

The city's entryway, for

those coming from the

po r t o f r e fuge , was

through a right-angle door

where, encrusted in an 18th-

century building, the Algarve's

only in situ horseshoe arch, attributed to

the 11th century, can still be found.

The wall's path is entirely individual, in the current city setting,

despite restorations and adaptations.

This village is located next to one of the

most important wetlands of

Europe, the Ria Formosa.

Cacela-Velha, the Islamic

Qast'alla, is a settlement

overlooking the sea, and

we l l -de fended by a

fortress.

During Umayyad times,

f rom the 10th to 11th

centuries, it would become an

urban hub of some importance, ruling

over a territory roughly the same as that of the ancient Roman

city of Balsa.

Cacela-Velha likely rose to the status of the main Eastern

Umayyad iqlim (administrative zone), with a territory

extending from the coastal lands to the Guadiana River.

Also in the 10th century, the Mozarabic Bishop of Ossonoba,

Julian, was entombed here, as attested by a tombstone,

denoting the continuity of the Christian cult under Umayyad

rule.

ENPI UMAYYAD ALGARVE TOURIST OFFICES PROJECT · ALCOUTIM Aljezur, a name of Arabic origin...

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Transcript of ENPI UMAYYAD ALGARVE TOURIST OFFICES PROJECT · ALCOUTIM Aljezur, a name of Arabic origin...