Photograph: António CunhaPhotograph: António Cunha


Name of Monument:

Castle of Cacela

Location:

Vila Real de Santo António, 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:

Qastala Darrague was the administrative headquarters of iqlim or rural district that was part of the cora (province) of Ossónoba, mentioned in written sources from the AH 4th / AD 10th century onwards. Al-Bakri and Al-Idrisi in the AH 5th and 6th / AD 11th and 12th centuries refer to Cacela as a village in the Gharb al-Andalus. Al-Idrisi adds that Cacela is a fortress built on the seashore, well populated and with many vegetable plots and fields of fig trees. Cacela was the birthplace of Ibn Darraj al-Qastalli (AH 347–422 / AD 958–1030), a poet at the court of al-Mansur.
The castle is a construction of limestone masonry built on a cliff, occupying a strategic position close to the old harbour entrance to the inner sheltered waters of the Formosa Estuary. It is square in plan, its sides measure nearly 40 metres and it has square towers at the corners and an entrance at an angle. The fortification was destroyed in the earthquake of 1755 and its present appearance is the result of reconstruction work carried out in 1794.
The discovery of an Islamic district on the outer perimeter of the walls of Cacela, which was abandoned at the end of the Almohad period in Portugal, suggests an increase in the population during this period, probably corresponding to the migration of Islamic populations from the north. In the second half of the AH 6th / AD 12th century, the castle of Cacela was the centre of military operations for the Almohad conquest of the town of Tavira, which took place in AH 563 / AD 1168. The battle was waged on land and sea, as Cacela had navigable access via the Tavira canal. The work of rebuilding and reinforcing the walled structure may date from the period when Almohad authority was being established in the Gharb.

View Short Description

Qastala Darrague was the administrative centre of the iqlim or rural district in the kura of Ossonoba, as recorded in various sources since the AH 4th / AD 10th century. The castle, which sits on top of a cliff, occupies a strategic position beside the old entrance to the inner sheltered waters of the Formosa Estuary. It is quadrangular with sides measuring some 40 m, and has square towers with chicane entrances in each corner. The earthquake of 1755 destroyed the fortress and its current appearance is the result of reconstruction work carried out in 1794.

How Monument was dated:

From written sources and archaeological data collected at the site.

Selected bibliography:

Coelho, A. B., Portugal na Espanha árabe, Lisbon, 1989.
Garcia, C., “Urbanismo Islâmico em Cacela, uma Intervenção Inovadora na Região do Algarve”, in Urbanismo Islámico en el Sur Peninsular y Norte de áfrica, Múrcia, 2002, pp.21–38.
Torres, C. and Macias, S., O Legado Islâmico em Portugal, Lisbon, 1998, pp.217–20.

Citation of this web page:

Cristina Garcia "Castle of Cacela" in Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. 2024. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;pt;Mon01;33;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 MM

RELATED CONTENT

 Artistic Introduction

 Timeline for this item

Islamic Dynasties / Period

Almoravids


Download

As PDF (including images) As Word (text only)