The fortified walls of Silves

The Islamic fortified walls surrounding Silves are ample proof of the Almohad mastery of military architecture. They have remained almost perfectly intact since their construction in the 12^th century. The first walls were built by the Almoravids and these were later extended and strengthened by the Almohads. The Silves walls were also modified when the town fell into the hands of Sancho I, king of Portugal in 1189. The walls underwent slight modifications during the period starting from the town’s reconquest by the caliph Abu Yusef al-Mansur in 1191 until the end of Muslim domination in 1248. The basic structure left by the Almohads was however never really changed even under the town’s Christian rulers.

According to chronicles written by al-Razi and al-Ghalib, the Muslim town of Silb was the largest in the Algarve and was surrounded by impressive fortified walls. The town’s urban complex was made up of four distinct sectors: the outskirts, the medina, the coracha and the alcazar. These areas, covering a surface of seven hectares, were surrounded by a rammed earth wall punctuated by towers constructed from the red sandstone typical of the Silves region. As with many of the fortified buildings of al-Andalus, the rammed earth walls were reinforced using different techniques, which lent them great strength and solidity.

The town could be entered through a number of gates; the Puerta del Sol (Bab al Shams) to the south, the Puerta de Loulé (Bab al-Balad) and the Puerta de la Azoia (Bab al-Zawiyya) to the east and the west. These doors would have been rather difficult to penetrate due to their right-angled layout. The entrances leading to the medina and the alcazar were flanked by albarrana towers, built slightly outside the walls and accessible by a type of easily destroyed bridge or built against the walls but independently, so that they would not damage the fortifications if they fell. This type of tower can only be found among the Hispano-Arab fortifications on the Iberian Peninsula. Here in Silves, this type of tower was used to protect the entrances to the town as well as being found at regular intervals around the walls. There were in all 24 of these towers. As well as these solid fortifications, it is believed that a barbican outside the walls further protected the town.

These fortified walls shelter precious evidence of the economic, cultural and political splendour of the town of Silves during the Almohad period, such as the alcazar and its cistern (Cisterna dos Caes). Archaeological digs have revealed numerous artefacts that bear witness to everyday life in the medina, such as stamped caliphal pottery in green and brown, using the cuerda seca (dry cord) technique. The Silves walls reflect the power and wealth of the Ukshunuba (Andalusian term for the region) during the 12^th century. In terms of their present state and their construction date, they are directly comparable to the Niebla fortifications in the province of Huelva.