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Tavira Castle and Mosque
(قلعة ومسجد تافيرا)

Title	Tavira Castle and Mosque
Title Original	قلعة ومسجد تافيرا
Type	Other
Language	Undetermined
Digital	Yes
Manuscript	No
Library:	Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID	monument;ISL;pt;Mon01;25;ar
Library Location	Tavira, Alfaro, Portugal
Notes	Arabic sources of the 6th century AH / 12th century AD mention Tavira as a village (Alkaria) or a castle, and specify its location in western Andalusia. This four-hectare, circular-plan fortified village sits atop a mountain range overlooking the Gilao River, a natural harbor protected by the marshes and sandy islands of the Ria Formosa (Formosa River). Tavira is supposed to have been surrounded by a built wall supported by small solid towers. The city expanded during the Almohad rule and an additional wall was built to replace some houses. This structure was approximately 10 meters high and 3.5 meters thick. Different building materials were used to construct the external structure, and its interior was filled with tabiyya (rammed earth), and an adjacent tower of tabiyya covered with stone was identified. A study of the plan of the Almohad wall shows the presence of six entrances and seven towers. As for the mosque, over which the Church of Santa Maria was built, it was located in the highest area. Recently completed archaeological excavations also revealed the presence of waste dumping sites, the construction of which used materials dating back to the 5th and 6th centuries AH / 11th and 12th centuries AD, and housing places dating back to the first half of the 6th century AH / 12th century AD. Tavira was occupied by Amil ibn Umnib during the second half of the rule of the Taifa kings, before it was later defeated by the Almohad armies stationed in Casela, during the years 546-562 AH / 1151-1167 AD.
Sample Text	Cristina Garcia “Tavira Castle and Mosque” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;pt;Mon01;25;ar

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Museum With No Frontiers

Tavira Castle and Mosque

(قلعة ومسجد تافيرا)

Type Other

Language Undetermined

Digital Yes

Manuscript No

Library Museum With No Frontiers

Record ID monument;ISL;pt;Mon01;25;ar

Library Location Tavira, Alfaro, Portugal

Notes Arabic sources of the 6th century AH / 12th century AD mention Tavira as a village (Alkaria) or a castle, and specify its location in western Andalusia. This four-hectare, circular-plan fortified village sits atop a mountain range overlooking the Gilao River, a natural harbor protected by the marshes and sandy islands of the Ria Formosa (Formosa River). Tavira is supposed to have been surrounded by a built wall supported by small solid towers. The city expanded during the Almohad rule and an additional wall was built to replace some houses. This structure was approximately 10 meters high and 3.5 meters thick. Different building materials were used to construct the external structure, and its interior was filled with tabiyya (rammed earth), and an adjacent tower of tabiyya covered with stone was identified. A study of the plan of the Almohad wall shows the presence of six entrances and seven towers. As for the mosque, over which the Church of Santa Maria was built, it was located in the highest area. Recently completed archaeological excavations also revealed the presence of waste dumping sites, the construction of which used materials dating back to the 5th and 6th centuries AH / 11th and 12th centuries AD, and housing places dating back to the first half of the 6th century AH / 12th century AD. Tavira was occupied by Amil ibn Umnib during the second half of the rule of the Taifa kings, before it was later defeated by the Almohad armies stationed in Casela, during the years 546-562 AH / 1151-1167 AD.

Sample Text Cristina Garcia “Tavira Castle and Mosque” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;pt;Mon01;25;ar