Algarve
- Silves - Historical Sites - Monuments - Museums |
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Silves owes its foundation to the river Arade and to the strategic hill commanding a vast area of the surrounding land. Early in the 8th Century, with the arrival of the Muslims, Silves (Xelb) turns into a flourishing city, capital of the Algarve, rivaling Lisbon and Seville in size and significance. A lasting Christian occupation of Algarve only came about by the middle of the 13th century. In the second half of the 19th century, Silves became one of the main centers of the cork industry. Silves today is one of the biggest orange growing areas of Portugal. In the 1960's tourists started coming to the Algarve, many of them visiting Silves, attracted by its historical and cultural past |
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