13 February 2020 : Guided excursion to Loulé
This excellent visit was arranged by one of our members.
On Thursday 13th February members of the AAA went on an archaeological tour of historic Loule led by the municipal archaeologist Isabel Luiza. The tour traced sections of the old city walls which once extended for 1 km around the city, about the same length of the Faro city walls.
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From atop one of the towers in the Castelo the group learned that all Portuguese castles were restored in the 1940’s by Salazar, giving them a rather uniform look. The tower gave a good view of the surrounding hills and the sea, important for the defence of the old city. To the north was the narrow Rua de Portugal, so named as it was the road to the Kingdom of Portugal, the Algarve at the time was its own Kingdom. In Muslim times Loule was known as Al-Ulay. On the slopes to the north-east extending east of the Rua de Portugal was a large Muslim cemetery. To the south-east the bell tower, at the Mother Church (Igreja Matrix de Sao Clemente), was built by the Muslims about 900 years ago as a minaret and is the only such tower in Portugal. After the re-conquest in 1249 the mosque was quickly converted into the church.
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There were several examples of how the Muslims anchored the foundations of their structures to bedrock, such as at the foundations for the bell tower, the Arabic L-shaped city gate beneath the beautifully mural tiled and gold-leafed Conception Chapel( Nossa Senorha da Conceicao) and the foundations of a building visible beneath the museum. Newer buildings were not anchored and generally only float on the surface, making them unstable. The old city was located above an abundant source of fresh ground water, still used today. |
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The Municipal Museum in the Castelo is the main branch of a network of 6 local municipal museums and houses a variety of displays. One of the newest chronicles the excavations of the recently discovered 220 million year old dinosaur beds on Rocha de Pena where the Metoposaurus Algarvensis, a very large amphibian similar to a salamander, was discovered. |
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Also in the museum there are many pre-historic, megalithic, Roman and Medieval artefacts and information on the numerous archaeological sites within the municipality including Loule Velho and the Castro de Salir. The municipality plans to enlarge and modernize the museum in order to better display the growing collections. Loule is also collaborating with Silves and Albufeira to create a UNESCO Geopark. |
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The tour continue down the narrow streets along the route of the wall and the group learned about the types of buildings constructed at the time on both sides of the 3metre thick stone walls and the guide explained a few of the excavations. The Islamic Baths (Banhos Islamicos), the only such baths in Portugal and the adjoining tower and open space, built along the city wall will soon be restored as an interpretive centre. The group passed by the busy Municipal Market and bustling Chocolate Fair and then enjoyed a Portuguese lunch at Afonso 111 Restaurant. 
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