Aljezur () is a town and
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
of the
District of Faro
Faro District ( pt, Distrito de Faro ) is the southernmost district of Portugal, coincident with the Algarve region. The administrative centre, or district capital, is the city of Faro.
Municipalities
The district is composed of 16 municipalit ...
and
Algarve
The Algarve (, , ; from ) is the southernmost NUTS II region of continental Portugal. It has an area of with 467,495 permanent inhabitants and incorporates 16 municipalities ( ''concelhos'' or ''municípios'' in Portuguese).
The region has it ...
region, in
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
. The population in 2011 was 5,884, in an area of 323.50 km².
The municipality comprises 4 parishes.
History
![Igreja Nova de Aljezur - 14](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Igreja_Nova_de_Aljezur_-_14.03.2020.jpg)
Aljezur Do árabe al jazair, plural de al jazira,
'ilha'Aljezur Do árabe al jazair, plural de al jazira, 'ilha' ...
Aljezur is a land that has distant origins, and is marked by various archeological remnants. Its territory has been inhabited since prehistory. Vestiges from remote pre-history generally attest to the age of the region (as early as 7000 BCE).
Nomadic tribes of hunter-gathers, hunted or fished in the region, in addition to scavenging in the lands for tubers or roots, that constituted their basic diet.
It was during the Neolithic and Calcolithic (3000-2500 BCE) and Bronze Age (1200-800 NCE) that settlement began to take root.
But, the period of Muslim occupation (during the 10th-11th century) resulted in the largest expansion of architectonic construction, as evidenced by archaeological excavations in the Castle of Aljezur, Ponta da Atalaia (
Ribat of Arrifana
The Ribat of Arrifana is the archeological site of the remains of a Muslim fortification (ribat) situated in Arrifana, Aljezur municipality, in the Faro District of the Algarve region, Portugal. It was a Muslim coastal fortress built around 11 ...
), and Ponta do Castelo (Carrapateira), as well as in Alcaria.
A 12th Century
fishing village
A fishing village is a village, usually located near a fishing ground, with an economy based on catching fish and harvesting seafood. The continents and islands around the world have coastlines totalling around 356,000 kilometres (221,000 m ...
excavated in 2001 gives evidence of an agro-maritime economy with fishing, crop cultivation and animal rearing being carried out.
Politically, Aljezur was founded in the 10th century by
Berbers
, image = File:Berber_flag.svg
, caption = The Berber ethnic flag
, population = 36 million
, region1 = Morocco
, pop1 = 14 million to 18 million
, region2 = Algeria
, pop2 ...
who remained in the region for the following five centuries, until the Christian conquest.
[ They were responsible for many of the structures in the region, such as the main castle, but also for the many names that dotted the region's toponymy, as well as the legends and myths that developed by its peoples.][
The village of Aljezur was taken from the Moors in 1249, during the reign of D. Afonso III, by Paio Peres Correia, Master of the Order of Santiago.][ The Christians gave thanks for their success to the Virign Mary, and in an expansion of faith, Nossa Senhora da Alva (''Our Lady of the Dawn'') was named patron saint of Aljezur, as a result of the mythical legend of the ''Conquest of the Castle''.][
Aljezur obtained a ]foral
200px, Foral of Castro Verde - Portugal
The word ''foral'' ({{IPA-pt, fuˈɾaɫ, eu, plural: ''forais'') is a noun derived from the Portuguese word ''foro'', ultimately from Latin ''forum'', equivalent to Spanish ''fuero'', Galician ''foro'', Ca ...
(''charter'') from 12 November 1280, issued by King Denis of Portugal
Denis (, ; 9 October 1261 – 7 January 1325 in Santarém), called the Farmer King (''Rei Lavrador'') and the Poet King (''Rei Poeta''), was King of Portugal. The eldest son of Afonso III of Portugal by his second wife, Beatrice of Castile, and ...
in Estremoz, it was the first charter issued by the king in the Algarve.[ On 1 June 1504, King Manuel of Portugal reformed the diplomatic map issued by King Denis, and promoted the town with the title ''Nobre e Honrada'' (''Noble and Honoured'').][
Following the Restoration War, in the reigns of King Afonso VI and his brother, regent (then King) Peter II, the coastal lands were infested with Moroccan corsairs that anchored in the coastal coves and unprotected anchorages, then attacked and pillaged the local towns.][ Carrapateira was erected between two beaches, where pirates could easily disembark: Praia da Bordeira (to the north) and Praia do Amado (to the south).][ From these beaches, pirates targeted local homes, kidnapping many and selling them into slavery in the markets of Algiers. Similarly, in Arrifana, which formed a small cove protected by strong waves and easy access to the sea.][ Therefore, in the 17th century, they national government constructed the ]Fort of Arrifana
The Fort of Arrifana, or Fortress of Arrifana, ( pt, Fortaleza da Arrifana)) is situated on the Vicentine Coast of the Algarve region of Portugal, on a promontory close to the town of Aljezur. It was originally constructed in 1635 with the inten ...
; erected in 1635, rebuilt in 1635 and 1670, it was originally established to protect a fishing port that existed by 1516.[
The Church of Carrapateira, dedicated to ''Our Lady of the Conception'', was constructed during the reign of John IV, sometime around 1673.][ The place where the church was erected (a hilltop with a view to the sea and settlement) was the ideal place for a church, but also for the construction of the Fort of Carrapateira, by D. Nuno da Cunha de Ataíde, Count of Pontevel and governor.][ It was there that the temple was erected.
All of Aljezur was gravely damaged by the 1755 earthquake.][ Bishop Francisco Gomes de Avelar ordered the construction of the Church of Nossa Senhora de Alva in the edge of the town, in order to form a new population center. Its name slowly adapted the name ''Igreja Nova'' (''New Church'').][
]
Geography
Aljezur is located along the western coast of the Algarve, within the Southwest Alentejo and St. Vincent Coast Nature Park: this region, mixes landscapes clifftop landscapes and sea fronts. From the north to south, from Odeceixe to Carrapateira, the municipality is a mixture of many views, marked by archaeological vestiges of elevated interest, museums, windmills, cultural landscapes, histo-cultural circuits and recreational trails and BTT bike trails.[ The coast is carved by nature, with a coast of marked by beaches from Odeceixe, until Amado, known for its surfing conditions.][
Administratively, the municipality is divided into 4 civil parishes ('']freguesias
''Freguesia'' (), usually translated as "parish" or "civil parish", is the third-level administrative subdivision of Portugal, as defined by the 1976 Constitution. It is also the designation for local government jurisdictions in the former Port ...
''):
* Aljezur
Aljezur () is a town and municipality of the District of Faro and Algarve region, in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 5,884, in an area of 323.50 km². The municipality comprises 4 parishes.
History
Aljezur Do árabe al jazair, plu ...
* Bordeira
Bordeira is a Portuguese civil parish in the municipality of Aljezur. The population in 2011 was 432, in an area of 79.87 km². It lies within the Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Natural Park, along the western coast of the Algarve in ...
* Odeceixe
Odeceixe is a village and civil parish in the northern part of the municipality of Aljezur, in the Portuguese Algarve, lying within the Nature Park of the Southwest Alentejo and Vincentine Coast. The village lies on the south bank of the Ribeira d ...
* Rogil
Rogil is a Portuguese civil parish in Aljezur Municipality. It lies within the Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Natural Park. The population in 2011 was 1,126, in an area of 34.96 km².
The village of Rogil lies on a plateau at about 9 ...
Local services
There are regular bus services running south to Lagos and north to Lisbon.
Education
Aljezur is home to both primary and secondary state schools and has an International Secondary School Aljezur International School
Aljezur International School is located a short distance from the town of Aljezur in the western Algarve, Portugal.
The school provides secondary education, taught in the English language, to children from 10 – 17 years of age following the C ...
located in the town parish.
References
External links
Municipality official website
{{authority control
Populated places in Faro District
Municipalities of the Algarve
Towns of the Algarve
Municipalities of Faro District