Photograph: António Cunha


Name of Monument:

Town Gate

Location:

Faro, Portugal

Date of Monument:

Hegira second half of 5th–first half of 6th century / AD end of 11th–first half of 12th century

Period / Dynasty:

Almoravid

Description:

A horseshoe arch built of small pieces of limestone and with a sequence of voussoirs (key-stones) in alternating colours, 4.23 metres high and 2.36 metres wide. This piece was part of an entrance set at an angle, facing north, to the Medina of Shantamaria al-Harun. The town gate (Porta da Vila) takes its inspiration from classical Andalusian models of the Umayyad period, notably that of the Great Mosque of Córdoba. The walled town, oval in shape, would have been around 7 hectares in area with three entrances and several square and semi-circular towers.
According to written sources, the town was fortified in the time of the governor Ibn Bacre, in AH 3rd / AD 9th century, transforming it into a stronghold, and was furnished with iron gates. After the Caliphate period, this urban centre, known as Ocsonoba was capital of the Taifa kingdom of Santa Maria de Harun, and work must have been carried out on the whole walled complex, as well as on the town gate. No rigorous study has yet been made of this matter and it is still under discussion.
Al-Bakri and al-Idrisi in the AH 5th–6th / AD 11th–12th centuries refer to a town called Santa Maria, founded in the distant past, of medium size and very beautiful, 'situated at a point which advances into the Atlantic and its walls are bathed by the seawater at high tide'. They also state that it has a cathedral mosque and another smaller mosque, and that it is the seat of an important alcaide (fortress custodian), with a port and naval shipyard.

View Short Description

The Town Gate in Faro is inspired by classical Andalusian models from the Umayyad period, evident in the Great Mosque of Córdoba. This old entrance to the harbour of the town, whose axial layout was developed in the late 18th century, leads to a corridor with a hidden corner door. The horseshoe arch, which dates back to the mid AH 5th / AD 11th century, was built using small limestone ashlars and includes a sequence of voussoirs in different colours, similar to palatial models of the day.

How Monument was dated:

It has parallels with the Great Mosque of Córdoba, Spain.

Selected bibliography:

Coelho, A. B., Portugal na Espanha árabe, Lisbon, 1989.
Correia, F., “Fortificações Urbanas da época Islâmica no Algarve”, in Património Islâmico dos Centros Urbanos do Algarve: Contributos para o Futuro, Faro, 2002, pp.80–9.

Citation of this web page:

Cristina Garcia "Town Gate" in Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. 2024. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;pt;Mon01;11;en

Prepared by: Cristina GarciaCristina Garcia

Cristina Garcia é arqueóloga, licenciada em Ciências Históricas pela Universidade Lusíada de Lisboa. Foi bolseira do Instituto Nacional de Investigação Científica. Trabalhou no Serviço Nacional de Parques, Reservas e Conservação da Natureza, nas áreas de ordenamento do território, trabalhos arqueológicos e recuperação de monumentos e sítios arqueológicos. Foi coordenadora do Gabinete de Defesa do Património de Cacela e de projecto integrado na “Acção Piloto Portugal-Espanha-Marrocos”. Dirigiu as escavações arqueológicas do bairro almóada de Qastalla Darrag (Cacela Velha). Trabalha presentemente no Instituto Português do Património Arquitectónico. Frequenta curso de doutoramento na Universidade de Huelva, Espanha. Autora de artigos e estudos técnicos, destacando-se, “Urbanismo islâmico em Cacela, uma intervenção inovadora na região do Algarve” (Murcia, Consejería de Turismo y Cultura, 2002).

Translation by: Gilla Evans
Translation copyedited by: Monica Allen

MWNF Working Number: PT P

RELATED CONTENT

 Artistic Introduction

 Timeline for this item

Islamic Dynasties / Period

Almoravids


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