Tavira Guide

Table of contents for Route 1:

• Route 1: The walls of Tavira II (part 1 of 6)
• Route 1: The walls of Tavira II (part 2 of 6)
• Route 1: The walls of Tavira II (part 3 of 6)
• Route 1: The walls of Tavira II (part 4 of 6)
• Route 1: The walls of Tavira II (part 5 of 6)
• Route 1: The walls of Tavira II (part 6 of 6)

Only in 1167/68 was Tavira to surrender to the power of the Almoadans.

From here until the taking of the city by the knights of Santiago, the walled section was extended, with the construction of a new section of wall defending yet another extension of the city; this time to the West. This construction came out of the Western part of the castle and was to surround the entire zone which leads from Rua dos Escuteiros to the point where Rua da Porta do Postigo intersects with Rua dos Mouros. This wall, of which there still remains a large section behind Rua da Porta do Postigo, was built as a military taipa (horny wall), with clay mortar, lime and gravel, which gave it great strength, and was a building material which was typical of the Almoadas.

This religious political group was also responsible for the construction of at least four albarrã towers (mural towers), characterised as being outside the wall, to which they were linked by a sturdy bridge. These are the towers which are still standing in the castle, two in Bela Fria, which defended the port of the same name and the other adjacent to the bridge.

It is not known what the towers which have disappeared would have looked like, however, an analysis of the tower of the castle allows us to infer that they were military taipas, encased in stone. The connecting bridges would have been of cyclopean taipa.

The remains of another three towers are also known, linked to the wall, in military taipa, with a quadrangular layout. Two of these towers flanked the Pelames gate and the other was in the excavated building at Praça da República (BNU) and would have served to protect the door which predates Arco de D. Manuel.

It is also known that the walls of the city underwent renovation following the Christian conquest, Dom Dinis carried out work on the castle and Dom Fernando extended the boundary.