Tavira
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Tavira () is a Portuguese town and municipality, capital of the ''Costa do Acantilado'', situated in the east of the
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 ...
on the south coast of
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 ...
. It is east of Faro and west of
Huelva Huelva (, ) is a city in southwestern Spain, the capital of the province of Huelva in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is between two short rias though has an outlying spur including nature reserve on the Gulf of Cádiz coast. The rias ...
across the river
Guadiana The Guadiana River (, also , , ), or Odiana, is an international river defining a long stretch of the Portugal-Spain border, separating Extremadura and Andalusia (Spain) from Alentejo and Algarve (Portugal). The river's basin extends from the e ...
into Spain. The
Gilão River The Gilão () is a river in southern Portugal. It is approachable from the Atlantic Ocean, where it enters at the town of Tavira in the Algarve, east of Faro. The river Gilão changes its name to Rio Séqua at the ancient bridge named Ponte Ro ...
meets the Atlantic Ocean in Tavira. The population in 2011 was 26,167, in an area of 606.97 km². Tavira is the Portuguese representative community for the inscription of the
Mediterranean Diet The Mediterranean diet is a diet inspired by the eating habits of people who live near the Mediterranean Sea. When initially formulated in the 1960s, it drew on the cuisines of Greece, Italy, France and Spain. In decades since, it has also incor ...
as a Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO.


History


Bronze Age to the Roman Empire

Tavira's origins date back to the late
Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
(1.000-800 BC). In the 8th century BC it became one of the first
Phoenicia Phoenicia () was an ancient thalassocratic civilization originating in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. The territory of the Phoenician city-states extended and shrank throughout their histor ...
n 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 which lasted 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. The Romans later called it ''
Balsa ''Ochroma pyramidale'', commonly known as the balsa tree, is a large, fast-growing tree native to the Americas. It is the sole member of the genus ''Ochroma''. The tree is famous for its wide usage in woodworking, with the name ''balsa'' being ...
''. After laying abandoned for a century, it was revived and became an even larger settlement during the so-called Tartessian Period. Tartessian Tavira, was again abandoned by the end of the 4th century BC. Another urban center emerged at nearby ''Cerro do Cavaco'', a fortified hill occupied until the time of Emperor
Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...
.


The Roman Empire to the Moorish Conquest

During the time of Caesar, the
Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
created a new port, some 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 The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or ...
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 ''Ochroma pyramidale'', commonly known as the balsa tree, is a large, fast-growing tree native to the Americas. It is the sole member of the genus ''Ochroma''. The tree is famous for its wide usage in woodworking, with the name ''balsa'' being ...
and Baesuris (today
Castro Marim Castro Marim () is a town and a municipality in the southern region of Algarve, in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 6,747, in an area of 300.84 km2. The current Mayor is Francisco Amaral, elected by the Social Democratic Party. The mun ...
).


Moorish Rule

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. The 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 remained rural until the 11th century when Moorish Tavira (from the Arabic Tabira, "the hidden") grew rapidly, becoming one of the important towns of the then
Gharb al-Andalus Gharb al-Andalus ( ar, غرب الأندلس, trans. ''gharb al-ʼandalus''; "west of al-Andalus"), or just al-Gharb ( ar, الغرب, trans. ''al-gharb''; "the west"), was the name given by the Muslims of Iberia to the region of southern mode ...
(the west), today’s Algarve.


The Reconquista

In 1242
Dom Dom or DOM may refer to: People and fictional characters * Dom (given name), including fictional characters * Dom (surname) * Dom La Nena (born 1989), stage name of Brazilian-born cellist, singer and songwriter Dominique Pinto * Dom people, an et ...
Paio Peres Correia D. Paio Peres Correia was a Portuguese warrior who played an important role in the thirteenth-century Reconquista. He was born c. 1205, in Monte de Fralães, a civil parish in the municipality of Barcelos. He went to Uclés, then the seat of t ...
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. Dom Paio’s Christian troops decimated most of Tavira’s population and the few survivors were kept in a tiny quarter known as "Mouraria".


The 1755 earthquake

In the 18th century, the port on its river was of considerable importance for 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 west-southwest of
Cape St. Vincent Cape St. Vincent ( pt, Cabo de São Vicente, ) is a headland in the municipality of Vila do Bispo, in the Algarve, southern Portugal. It is the southwesternmost point of Portugal and of mainland Europe. History Cape St. Vincent was already sacr ...
in the Algarve region.


Demographics


Tavira today

The city has since been rebuilt with many fine 18th-century buildings along with its 37 churches. A bridge links the two parts of the town across the River Gilão. The church of Santa Maria do Castelo, built on the ruins of a mosque, holds the tombs of Dom Paio Peres Correia and his knights. The church dates back to the 13th century, with the clock tower having been recreated from what was once a minaret. A bust of Dom Paio who died in Tavira in 1275, can be seen on the corner of the town hall. At one time fishing was the area’s primary industry but that declined, partly due to the changing migration patterns of
tuna A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae (mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna (max length: ...
fish and advancing silt in the river Gilão. The population is in the region of 25,000 inhabitants (municipality of Tavira) supporting a military base. Although still relatively untouched by mass tourism, there are several golf courses in the vicinity. The local beach lies past the salt pans and can be reached via the nearby Santa Luzia footbridge or by ferry, taking visitors to the sand-bar island known as
Ilha de Tavira Tavira Island ( pt, Ilha de Tavira) lies south of the town of Tavira, Portugal, just a few hundred metres off the coast. It is 11 kilometres long and varies between 150 m to 1 km in width. The island has 11 km of the best beaches in t ...
, part of the
Ria Formosa The Ria Formosa lagoon, located in the Algarve, in southern Portugal, is a system of barrier islands that connects to the sea through six inlets. Five of these inlets are natural and have mobility characteristics. The sixth is an artificial inle ...
natural wetlands park. In recent years the Gran Plaza shopping centre, incorporating a cinema, supermarket shops, and restaurants, was built on the outskirts of the town. House prices have increased sharply in recent years. The development of many golf clubs close to the town has also had an effect. As one of the popular towns in the Algarve, Tavira benefits from tourism which is the primary aspect of the region's economy.


Climate

Tavira has a
hot-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
''Csa'') with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. Together with Faro, it is among the sunniest cities in Portugal and in Europe, typically averaging around 3,150 hours of sunshine. Due to its location on the Algarvian Sotavento, Tavira is sheltered from frontal systems coming from the west but exposed to the influences of humid air masses coming from the south. The city receives predominantly western winds. Temperatures below are registered, on average, once a year. In contrast to the western coasts of Portugal,
fog Fog is a visible aerosol consisting of tiny water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. Reprint from Fog can be considered a type of low-lying cloud usually resembling stratus, and is heavily influ ...
is very uncommon in Tavira, occurring on average only three times a year.


Parishes

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 6 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 ...
''): *
Conceição e Cabanas de Tavira Conceição e Cabanas de Tavira is a civil parish in the municipality of Tavira Tavira () 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. It is ea ...
*
Cachopo Cachopo is a ''freguesia'' (parish) in the municipality of Tavira (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 munici ...
*
Luz de Tavira e Santo Estêvão Luz de Tavira e Santo Estêvão is a civil parish in the municipality of Tavira, Portugal. It was formed in 2013 by the merger of the former parishes Luz de Tavira Luz de Tavira is a former civil parish in the municipality of Tavira Tavira () i ...
* Santa Catarina da Fonte do Bispo * Santa Luzia * Tavira (Santa Maria e Santiago)


Transport

Tavira has its own railway station on the line from
Vila Real de Santo António Vila Real de Santo António (, often run together as ) is a city, civil parish, and municipality in the Algarve, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 19,156, in an area of 61.25 km2. It is one of the few municipalities in Portugal without ter ...
to Faro and Lagos. Trains are operated by
Comboios de Portugal CP — Comboios de Portugal, EPE (''CP''; English: ''Trains of Portugal'') is a state-owned company which operates passenger trains in Portugal. Before June 2009, CP stood for Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses (English: ''Portuguese Railways'') ...
(CP). Connections are available at Faro station for trains to Lisbon and the rest of Portugal. The A22 toll motorway passes near to the town. This offers fast road access along the Algarve coast and eastwards to
Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...
. The nearest international airports are Faro and
Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...
.


International relations

Tavira is twinned with: *
Kenitra Kenitra ( ar, القُنَيْطَرَة, , , ; ber, ⵇⵏⵉⵟⵔⴰ, Qniṭra; french: Kénitra) is a city in north western Morocco, formerly known as Port Lyautey from 1932 to 1956. It is a port on the Sebou River, Sebou river, has a popul ...
, Morocco *
Łańcut Łańcut (, approximately "wine-suit"; yi, לאַנצוט, Lantzut; uk, Ла́ньцут, Lánʹtsut; german: Landshut) is a town in south-eastern Poland, with 18,004 inhabitants, as of 2 June 2009. Situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship (si ...
, Poland *
Perpignan Perpignan (, , ; ca, Perpinyà ; es, Perpiñán ; it, Perpignano ) is the prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the ...
, France *
Porto Novo Porto-Novo (Portuguese: "New Port", , ; yo, Àjàṣẹ́, ), also known as Hogbonu and Ajashe, is the capital of Benin. The commune covers an area of and as of 2002 had a population of 223,552 people. Situated on an inlet of the Gulf of G ...
, Cape Verde *
Punta Umbría Punta Umbría is a town and municipality in the province of Huelva, part of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia. It is a fishing village located on the banks of the Rio Odiel river and across the water from the capital, Huelva. It is ...
, Spain * San Bartolomé de la Torre, Spain


Notable people

* The
Corte-Real family The Corte-Real (also Côrte-Real and Corte Real) are a Portuguese family of noble origins in the 14th century, originating in Tavira. The family is famous for its involvement in the Portuguese discoveries during the Age of Exploration, in the ...
nobles originated in the 14th century in Tavira *
Diogo de Mendonça Corte-Real Diogo de Mendonça Corte-Real (17 June 1658 – 9 May 1736) was an accomplished Portuguese people, Portuguese diplomat and statesman, and Prime Minister of Portugal, Secretary of State to King Pedro II of Portugal, Peter II and John V of Port ...
(1658–1736) a diplomat and statesman *
Józef Karol Konrad Chełmicki Józef Karol Konrad Chełmicki ( pt, Jose Carlos Conrado Chelmicki) (born 19 February 1814 in Warsaw; died 28 June 1890 in Tavira) was a Polish-born Portuguese general. Newsletter Nº1, 2011, Embaixada da República da Polónia - Link http://www.li ...
(1814-1890) a Polish-born Portuguese general *
Estácio da Veiga Sebastião Phillipes Martins Estácio da Veiga (6 May 1828 in Tavira – 7 December 1891 in Lisbon), was a Portuguese archeologist and writer, known for having discovered several important archaeological sites in the Algarve and having made adv ...
(1828–1891) a Portuguese archeologist *
António Cabreira D. António Tomás da Guarda Cabreira de Faria e Alvelos Drago da Ponte (30 October 1868 – 21 November 1953) was a Portuguese mathematician, polygraph and publicist. A member of the aristocratic Cabreira family, António Cabreira was a claima ...
(1868–1953) aristocrat, mathematician, polygraph and publicist *
Álvaro de Campos Álvaro de Campos (; October 15, 1890 – November 30, 1935) was one of the poet Fernando Pessoa's various heteronyms, widely known by his powerful and wrathful writing style. According to his author, this ''alter ego'' was born in Tavira, Portu ...
(1890–1935) heteronym of the poet
Fernando Pessoa Fernando António Nogueira Pessoa (; 13 June 1888 – 30 November 1935) was a Portuguese poet, writer, literary critic, translator, publisher, and philosopher, described as one of the most significant literary figures of the 20th century and ...
, known for his powerful and wrathful writing


Sport

* Miguel Cabrita (born 1974) swimmer, competed at the
1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
and
1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
* Fernando Livramento (born 1982) a former footballer with 369 club caps


See also

* Tavira DOC *
Tavira Island Tavira Island ( pt, Ilha de Tavira) lies south of the town of Tavira, Portugal, just a few hundred metres off the coast. It is 11 kilometres long and varies between 150 m to 1 km in width. The island has 11 km of the best beaches in t ...


References


External links


Website of the Municipality (in Portuguese)Arkeotavira: Archaeology, History and Old Maps
{{Authority control Cities in Portugal Populated places in Faro District Municipalities of the Algarve Towns of the Algarve Seaside resorts in Portugal Municipalities of Faro District