Algarve History & Culture: From Romans to Today

Algarve History at a Glance

A Short History of the Algarve

Romans

After the Romans took control of the region in the 2nd century BC, the Algarve prospered on olive oil and garum, a fermented fish sauce exported across the empire. The ruins of the villa at Milreu, near Estoi, and the site of Cerro da Vila in Vilamoura have mosaics, baths and the remains of fish-salting tanks. Faro was the Roman town of Ossonoba.

The Moors and al-Gharb

The Moors arrived in the early 8th century, and the region became the western part of al-Andalus, known as al-Gharb. Silves was its most important city, a prosperous stronghold whose red sandstone castle still stands above the town. The Moorish period left its mark in the irrigation of the orchards, the almond, fig and citrus groves, the layout of the old towns and place names that begin with Al-, such as Albufeira, Algoz and Alvor.

The Christian reconquest

Portuguese forces, led by Paio Peres Correia and the Order of Santiago, took Silves and Tavira in 1242. Faro fell in March 1249, completing the conquest, and King Afonso III became the first Portuguese monarch to call himself King of Portugal and the Algarve. Portuguese kings kept the title until the monarchy ended in 1910.

The Age of Discovery

In the 15th century Prince Henry the Navigator based himself near Lagos and sponsored voyages down the coast of Africa. In 1434 Gil Eanes, sailing from Lagos, became the first navigator to pass Cape Bojador, a turning point in the exploration of the Atlantic. Lagos grew rich from this trade, which included the beginnings of the Atlantic slave trade, and later served as the capital of the Algarve until 1755.

The 1755 earthquake

The great earthquake of 1 November 1755 and the tsunami that followed destroyed coastal towns and fortresses across the Algarve. Lagos lost its role as capital, and Faro, protected by the sandbanks of the Ria Formosa, suffered less and became the region's administrative centre. Many of the churches and town centres you see today were rebuilt after the disaster.

Fishing, canning and tourism

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, tuna fishing and sardine canning drove the economy of towns such as Portimão, Olhão and Vila Real de Santo António, where the first canning factory in Portugal opened in 1853. From the 1960s air travel changed the region. Faro Airport opened in 1965, and the fishing villages of the coast grew into the resorts of today.

Algarve Culture: What You Will Notice

Architecture

• Chimneys: the Algarve is known for its decorated chimneys, many of them lace-like and white, which make every village roofline different.
• Platibandas: coloured or patterned strips painted along the top edge of house façades.
• Açoteias: flat roof terraces, inherited from the Moorish period, used to dry fruit and collect rainwater. The cube-shaped houses of Olhão are the best example.
• Azulejos: painted tiles cover church interiors and façades. The church of São Lourenço in Almancil is one of the best-known examples in the Algarve.

Crafts

Traditional crafts include empreita, fine braiding of dwarf palm leaves into baskets and hats, hand-painted pottery from Porches and the area around Loulé, copper work for cataplanas, and cork products from the cork oaks of the hills. Loulé's market and craft shops are good places to see them.

Music and dance

The corridinho is the Algarve's traditional folk dance, a fast couple dance accompanied by the accordion. You will see it at local festivals and folk group performances, especially in summer.

Festivals

• Carnival in Loulé: the largest Carnival in the Algarve, with parades in February or March.
• Silves Medieval Fair: held each August, when the old town returns to the Middle Ages with costumes, markets and shows below the castle.
• Summer saints' festivals: in June, towns celebrate the popular saints with grilled sardines, music and dancing.
• Village festivals: most villages hold an annual festa with a procession, food and music, usually in summer.

Where to See the Algarve's History