Marvão

Marvão

Marvão and The Christian Reconquest

Marvão and The Christian Reconquest

Following its conquest by Alfonso I in the 1160s, and its brief recapture by Almohads in the 1190s, Marvão’s situation remained fragile around the start of the 13th century: it was listed among Portuguese territories only in the termo of Castelo Branco in 1214. Marvão was a recently conquered outpost, that needed to be fully integrated into […]

Dolmens Around Marvão

Dolmens Around Marvão

The earliest dolmens in southern Portugal date from c. 4800 BCE, and this culture lasted into the Bronze Age (2000 BCE) and beyond into the Iron Age. In and around Marvão, there exists a high concentration of dolmens, rock-hewn tombs, passage mounds and megaliths, dated to the 3rd millennium BCE. Together with the Sever-valley sites around the […]

Castle of Marvão

Castle of Marvão

. The castle is part of the Natural Park Serra de São Mamede, on the northern slope of the mountain, in a dominant position over the village and on the strategic line of streak, controlling in the past the crossing of the river Sever, a Tagus River affluent. This fact assured it the attention of […]

Marvão – The Frontier

Marvão – The Frontier

Perched on a granite crag of the Serra de São Mamede, Marvão’s name is derived from an 8th-century Muladi duke, named Ibn Marwan. Ibn Marwan used the fortress as a power base when establishing an independent statelet (“emirate”, duchy) covering much of modern day Portugal  during the Emirate of Cordoba (884-931 CE). The castle and walled village were further fortified through the […]

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