Town Gate
Faro, Portugal
Hegira second half of 5th–first half of 6th century / AD end of 11th–first half of 12th century
Almoravid
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.
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.
It has parallels with the Great Mosque of Córdoba, Spain.
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.
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
MWNF Working Number: PT P
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In the Lands of the Enchanted Moorish Maiden. Islamic Art in Portugal
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