Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID
monument;ISL;pt;Mon01;7;ar
Library Location
Elvas, Portugal
Notes
The door of the fortified enclosure of the Kasbah (Alcachova) was known as the Porta do Templo. This name has been given to it since the Christian era because of its proximity to real estate properties given to the religious and military organization of the Knights Templar, immediately after the incorporation of Elvas into the Kingdom of Portugal. In fact, this entrance may not be visible to anyone who wants to search for the ruins of Alcachova that date back to the Islamic era, because of its integration - as is the case with other ruins from the city’s Islamic past - within courtyards and houses in private ownership. To enter the space designated for the Islamic Alakashova, one must pass under a broken arch on the right, opening in the brick wall of the fortified wall. In the past, for defensive reasons, this entrance consisted of a double entrance with a sharp angle of 90 degrees. This double entrance consists of a tower separated from the wall and connected to it through a wall at a right angle, which forces passage through the two double gates separated by a chasm. The first entrance is located perpendicular to the wall, and leads to a room preceding the entrance to the fortified wall, which was done through a second door built inside the wall. With the exception of the heavy use of tabiyya (rammed earth), uncut granite stones were used in the construction of this door, supported by jambs, similar to other Andalusian doors. In the nineteenth century, the demolition of this door began, and then the project stopped. To correct the demolition, the highest arches were rebuilt using modern mortar that attempts to achieve similarity to the original. At the foundation level, up to the horseshoe staging area, as in the outer chamber at the entrance to Alcachova, the original characteristics and measurements have been preserved. The remains of the arch frame or the alfiz are original. The area of this central room is 12 square metres, and it has a quadrangular shape. In terms of structure and style, and by comparison with other buildings of a defensive nature, it can be confirmed that the construction of this cubic entrance took place during the Almohad period.
Sample Text
Fernando Branco Correia “Door of the Temple” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;pt;Mon01;7;ar
