Situated on a hill above the Arade River, navigable in historical times, and bordered to the south by the Atlantic Ocean, Silves was possibly founded during the times of Roman domination. Former capital of the Algarve, it was one of the most important towns of western Al-Andalus. Silves Castle (Castelo dos Mouros, Moorish Castle), located on the top of the hill and built between the 8th and 13th century, is one of the best preserved of the Moorish fortifications in Portugal. In the next hundred years, the fortification was strengthened by Moors and passed twice, for brief periods, under Christian dominion, until Afonso III of Portugal definitively conquered it.
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