Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID
monument;ISL;pt;Mon01;30;ar
Library Location
Ourique, Beja, Portugal
Notes
The site, which archaeologists have identified as Fort Castro Alcola, was known until a later period as “Notre Dame Alcola.” Its definition as a fortress was based on scientific analyzes that considered it a “Portuguese-Roman” structure. In fact, although the surrounding land witnessed dense population in the prehistoric and post-historic period, archaeological research has highlighted medieval residential places. Research was carried out by Abel Viana starting in 1958 and continuing throughout the 1960s. The site was known during the Islamic period as “Marjiq” and retained this name after the Portuguese conquest. In fact, the charter of that region, which was drawn up in the 7th century AH / 13th century AD, mentions the name “Marashik”. The center of the council moved in the following century, due to the deterioration of the site’s condition, to the neighboring city of Ourique. Although the goal of the excavations of the sixties was to search for the remains of antiquities dating back to a habitation from the Roman Lusitanian era, it was soon revealed that a fortified acropolis whose construction dates back to an Islamic period that has not yet been determined. The wall appears to be associated with fortifications intended for the Kasbah (Alcachova) with military occupation likely occurring frequently. Some modifications were also found in it dating back to the 9th century AH / 15th century AD. The material used in construction is limestone with clay mortar. In some areas of the fortification, walls were observed, the stones of which were laid out in a perforated pattern, which is considered, in other words, a late version of the "Opus spicatum". In addition to the presence of a small cistern, traces of urbanization can be distinguished at this site. In fact, according to the plan, it was observed that there were houses around a central courtyard. At the "Castro" site, burial evidence with inscriptions dating back to the Islamic era were found. All of the ceramic pieces excavated from the site also date back to the last period of the Islamic phase, and sometimes earlier. Outside Alcachova we find building remains, which allows us to assume human settlement of the slope that descends towards the Mira River and the Marchicao River - whose current name reminds us of its ancient name. The use of sites that have these components, suitable for a defense situation and the possibility of supplying water, shows points in common with other sites in Andalusia. Recent analyzes have shown that the current walls resulting from the accumulation of stones excavated during excavations do not match, in some places, the original Islamic wall. Also, the holes that we currently see in the wall were made in order to get rid of dirt during the excavations that were conducted during the 1960s.
Sample Text
Fernando Branco Correia “Fortress of Cola (Castro da Cola)” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;pt;Mon01;30;ar
