{"id":5186,"date":"2022-07-21T13:19:28","date_gmt":"2022-07-21T13:19:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.algarveportugalia.com\/silves-a-city-full-of-history-and-oranges\/"},"modified":"2025-05-29T14:30:36","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T14:30:36","slug":"silves-a-city-full-of-history-and-oranges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.algarveportugalia.com\/en\/silves-a-city-full-of-history-and-oranges\/","title":{"rendered":"Silves a city full of history and oranges"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

General information about Silves<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Silves<\/strong> is a quiet town located in the central south of the Algarve in Portugal built on the banks of the Arade River. <\/strong>Before Faro, Silves was the official capital of the Algarve region <\/strong>and is considered one of the oldest areas in Portugal.<\/p>

Silves is a city with a rich history,<\/strong> which can be seen in the walls of the medieval castle<\/strong>, in the Gothic cathedral<\/strong>and in the old Roman bridge<\/strong> crossing the Arade River. Each of these monuments is a memory of civilizations that have passed through Silves in the past. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Algarve\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

History of Silves<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

For nearly five centuries of Arab rule in Portuguese territory, Silves became known as the \u201cBaghdad of the West.\u201d<\/strong> The wealthy and prosperous city was fought over by both Christians and Muslims. <\/p>

The area had been inhabited since Paleolithic<\/strong> times, but the city reached its peak after the Moorish invasion of the Iberian Peninsula in 713<\/strong>. In the 10th century, Silves, then called Xelb<\/strong>, was the capital of Al-Gharb <\/strong>, the area now known as the Algarve<\/strong>. In 1189, King Sancho I recaptured the town for the Portuguese with the help of a hired army of Northern European crusaders. Silves was recaptured by the Moors two years later, until it finally fell into Christian hands in 1249. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Arabskie\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Silves from a bird's eye view - video<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

See below in the video what the city looks like from a bird’s eye view.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

How to get to Silves?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Silves<\/strong> can be reached by car<\/strong>, bus<\/strong>, train<\/strong> and even by boat<\/strong> from the nearby city of Portim\u00e3o<\/strong>. If you plan to use public transportation, you can check departure times below and book a bus<\/strong> or train<\/strong> ticket to Silves<\/strong>. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t