The marigold façade of the Pousada Convento in Tavira, a town on Portugal's southern coast, gleams in the late-afternoon sun. Refreshing as it is to sip chilled pineapple juice in the Algarve heat, it's not the promise of shade that leads me into its cloisters. The tranquil courtyard, flanked by cheery yellow walls and weathered colonnades, is a portal to the 16th century, when the structure was built for an order of Augustinian nuns.
While transforming the convent into a hotel in 2006, developers began carving out a swimming pool. “A joke that archaeologists and historians make here is that if you dig a hole, you're going to find something,” says João Pedro de Matos, a researcher with a postgraduate degree from Universidade de Évora. The excavations revealed vestiges of a medieval Muslim quarter dating back to the 13th century. The site is now a tiny museum under the hotel bar. The cost of my drink covers my entrance fee. The bartender points me toward a staircase with a tiny placard: Almohad (Islamic) Quarter.
Embaixada, a former villa turned shopping gallery.
Musicians at Mértola’s Islamic festival.
Beginning in the eighth century, Arabs from North Africa reigned over much of the Iberian peninsula, until the Reconquista, a movement by Christian kingdoms to expel Muslims from the region, reclaimed Portugal in 1249 and Spain in 1492. “I like to say they brought the light to Europe,” a driver in Lisbon tells me, describing how Muslim advancements in mathematics, medicine, engineering, and astronomy ushered the region out of the Dark Ages. In neighboring Spain, it's easy to trace the footsteps of the Moors in Andalusia, formerly the kingdom of Al-Andalus. But in Portugal you have to work a little harder to see what remains of this inheritance in Al-Gharb, modern-day Algarve.
Southern Portugal is scattered with Arab bastions, ruins, and names in popular holiday hamlets like Silves (formerly Shilb), Albufeira (Al-Buhera), and Faro (Faraon). I set out instead for quieter towns to the east. I visit another museum in Tavira, the Nucleo Islamico. Just steps from the Praça da República, this one is harder to miss. It chronicles the region's history as a Muslim stronghold until the mid-13th century. In nearby Loulé (al-Ulya), where last summer a 12th-century Islamic bathhouse was declared a National Monument, the towering belfry of the church of São Clemente was once the minaret of a mosque. While the Moors may have been vanquished centuries ago, they still loom large in the collective imagination: Getting lost in a web of alleys in the seaside village of Olhão (Al-Hain), I stumble upon statues dedicated to local legends that recount tales of enchanted Moorish sirens and ghosts.
The website maxtravelz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
With its myriad health benefits and thrilling sense of freedom, cycling is a great way to get out and explore, be it on a slow-paced ride through a city or a challenging climb through hilly terrain. Fortunately, Europe is crisscrossed with scenic routes to explore, from cycling through olive groves in Italy to pedalling past Portugal’s golden beaches and taking on Spain’s legendary Camino de Santiago. Here, five experts reveal where to go and why.
With Valentines Day just around the corner, rediscover romance with the finest wellness retreats to suit the preferences of any couple. Whether you’re an adventurous, outgoing fitness duo or partners looking for a more holistic experience, Health and Fitness Travel, the wellness holidays specialists has amassed a variety of wellbeing breaks to rekindle that deep, intimate connection with your significant other. From setting out together to discover the vast landscapes and rich culture of Qatar, to exhilarating fitness breaks in the UK, or whisking your partner away to Italy for a romantic and revitalising mindfulness retreat, there is truly something to suit every couple.
The world's most powerful passports for 2024 have been revealed — with the biggest shake-up in rankings we've seen in several years, including a never-before-seen six nations in first place.
Over the last five years, the world has changed a lot. A global pandemic ground much of the global population to a halt with travel the most restricted it's ever been in my lifetime – and most likely yours too. Russia’s war on Ukraine and now Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza are causing shockwaves around the world, reshaping the statuses of countries and the rights of their citizens.
It’s fashionable, if lazy, shorthand to call Portugal’s Azores the Hawaii of the Atlantic. That’s not wrong—the nine islands have gorgeous rainforests, black lava beaches and wildflowers aplenty—but the description leaves a lot out. The archipelago is still in the relatively early stages of international discovery, but still with the potential to keep its brand of nature tourism sustainable.
Visit Portugal celebrated the New Year launching a new campaign that was presented in Lisbon. #It’s not tourism. It’s futourism, is the motto for this campaign that sets 12 New Year’s resolutions for the tourist of the future.
Charles Darwin was 22 years old when he first peeled a banana. “Maukish & sweet with little flavor,” he noted in his journal from Santiago, the main island in the Cape Verde archipelago off the coast of West Africa. He preferred oranges and tamarinds, feasting at every opportunity on tropical fruit after three awful weeks at sea.