Alferce
Civil parish in Algarve, Portugal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alferce is a freguesia (parish) in the Monchique Municipality (Algarve, Portugal). The population in 2011 was 441,[1] in an area of 96.12 km².[2]
Alferce | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms | |
  Alferce Location in Portugal | |
| Coordinates: 37.333°N 8.490°W | |
| Country |  Portugal |
| Region | Algarve |
| Intermunic. comm. | Algarve |
| District | Faro |
| Municipality | Monchique |
| Area | |
• Total | 96.12 km2 (37.11 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 441 |
| • Density | 4.59/km2 (11.9/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+00:00 (WET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+01:00 (WEST) |
| Website | http://www.jf-alferce.pt/ |
Lies in this area remains of a medieval fortress from Muslim rule in Portugal known in Islamic sources ( Hillah Sirah of Ibn Abbar & others ) as حصن المرجيق - Monchique fortress.
The fortress was captured in 1144 by the followers of Ibn Qasi from the Almoravids. Less than a century later, it became part of the Kingdom of Portugal who seized the fortress from Ibn Mahfuz ( Aben Mahfot in
Spanish sources ) , then leader of the Algarve region & Niebla ( Dawlah Islam fil Andalus - Abdullah bin Inan ).
