Tavira

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For other uses, see Tavira (disambiguation).

Tavira

Municipality

General view of Tavira

Flag

Coat of arms
 Coordinates:  37°07′N 7°39′WCoordinates:  37°07′N 7°39′W

Country  Portugal

Region Algarve

Intermunic. comm. Algarve

District Faro

Parishes 6

Government

 • President Jorge Manuel Nascimento Botelho (PS)

Area

 • Total 606.97 km2 (234.35 sq mi)

Population

 (2011)

 • Total 26,167

 • Density 43/km2 (110/sq mi)

Time zone UTC±00:00 (WET)

 • Summer (DST) UTC+01:00 (WEST)

Website www.cm-tavira.pt/
Tavira (Portuguese pronunciation: [tɐˈviɾɐ] ( listen)) is a Portuguese town and municipality,
capital of the Costa do Acantilado, situated in the east of the Algarve on the south coast
of Portugal.[1] It is 28 kilometres (17 miles) east of Faro and 75 kilometres (47 miles)
west of Huelva across the Río Grande (Rio Guadiana) into Spain. The Gilão
River meets the Atlantic Ocean in Tavira. The population in 2011 was 26,167, [2] in an
area of 606.97 km².[3]

Contents

History[edit]
Bronze Age to the Roman Empire[edit]

Tavira medieval bridge.

Tavira's origins date back to the late Bronze Age (1.000-800 BC).[4] In the 8th century
BC it became one of the first Phoenician settlements in the Iberian West. The
Phoenicians created a colonial urban center here with massive walls, at least two
temples, two harbours and a regular urban structure. Phoenician Tavira existed until the
end of 6th century BC, when it was destroyed by conflict.
It is thought its original name was Baal Saphon, named after the Phoenician Thunder
and Sea god. This name later became Balsa.
After a century of being abandoned, the settlement recovered, during the urban bloom
that characterised the so-called Tartessian Period, and became bigger than ever. This
second urban center, Tartessian Tavira, was also abandoned by the end of the 4th
century BC.
The main centre then moved to nearby Cerro do Cavaco, a fortified hill occupied until
the time of Emperor Augustus.
The Roman Empire to the Moorish Conquest[edit]
During the time of Caesar, the Romans created a new port, some 7 kilometres (4 miles)
from Tavira, named Balsa. Balsa became a big town, in fact much bigger than Tavira,
that grew, prospered and decayed in parallel with the Roman Empire. When
the Moors conquered Iberia, in the 8th Century, Balsa was already extinct as a town.
Under Roman rule, Tavira was a secondary passing place on the important road
between Balsa and Baesuris (today Castro Marim).
Moorish Rule[edit]

Santiago church

The Moorish occupation of Tavira between the 8th and 13th centuries left its mark on
the agriculture, architecture and culture of the area. That influence can still be seen in
Tavira today with its whitewashed buildings, Moorish style doors and rooftops. Tavira
Castle, two mosques and palaces were built by the Moors. The impressive seven
arched "Roman bridge" is now not considered to be Roman after a recent
archaeological survey, but originates from a 12th Century Moorish bridge. This was a
good time economically for Tavira, which established itself as an important port for
sailors and fishermen. The area stayed rural until the 11th century when Moorish Tavira
(from the Arabic Tabira, "the hidden") started to grow rapidly, becoming one of the
important (and independent) towns of the Algarve, then the South-Western extreme
of Gharb al-Andalus (the West of Islamic Iberian territories).
The Reconquista[edit]
In 1242 Dom Paio Peres Correia took Tavira back from the Moors in a bloody conflict of
retaliation after seven of his principal Knights were killed during a period of truce, the
population of the town was decimated during this battle. Christians were now back in
control of Tavira and though most Muslims left the town some remained in a Moorish
quarter known as "Mouraria".

Fishing boat in Tavira

The 1755 earthquake[edit]

Main article: 1755 Lisbon earthquake

In the 18th century, the port on its river was of considerable importance, shipping
produce such as salt, dried fish and wine. Like most of the Algarve its buildings were
virtually all destroyed by the earthquake of 1755. This earthquake is thought to have
reached 8.5–9.0 on the moment magnitude scale and caused extensive damage
throughout the Algarve due to high intensity shaking (XI (Extreme) on the Mercalli
intensity scale) and tsunamis. The earthquake is referred to as the Lisbon earthquake
due to its terrible effects on the capital city, although the epicentre was some 200 km
(124 mi) west-southwest of Cape St. Vincent in the Algarve.