Silves Castle

Silves Castle started to be built in the 11th century and it is nowadays the finest example of Islamic Military Architecture in Portugal and also considered to be the biggest Castle in the Algarve Region.

Around the year 1250 the Castle was conquered from the Moors by Portuguese troops, and since then reconstruction and conservation works have been made.

Nowadays, in the whole, the Castle and the city walls have eleven towers, two of which defending the gigantic entrance double gate, occupying an area of twelve thousand square meters. Some towers have been modified in the medieval period and have now gothic gates.
Because it is located in the highest point of Silves, a walk around its walls offers the visitor a magnificent view over the green hill landscape.

The Silves Castle is considered to be one of the best preserved Monuments in the country and once inside the walls it is not hard to imagine how life may have been in medieval times, through the innumerable vestiges found there: in fact it is said that one can still hear the sighs of the enchanted Moorish Princess mourning her beloved at the well where he committed suicide...