Silves Castle

This sandstone castle is located at the highest spot of the city next to the towers of the former cathedral. It is likely that the first fortresses date back to the Phoenician era, even though they have only taken shape under Arab ruling. By that time, Silves was the capital of the Algarve. The castle was seriously damaged by constant earthquakes. In the 30’s and 40’s of the 20th century, it underwent major restoring works. The walls of the castle are made of rammed earth. The castle has an irregular polygon-shaped plan with four particularly interesting towers: a central tower, the tower of women (since it was a female prison), the keep (also known as Aben-Afan) and the secret tower (where the prisioners who could not be contacted were placed). Inside the castle, there are several vestiges of Muslim occupation, such as an Arab cistern and a military path all around the castle offering a view over Arade river, orange plantations and the hills overlooking the mountain ranges of Espinhaço de Cão and Monchique. Worth highlighting is also a statue of King D. Sancho I (National Monument)

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