Atalaia Point Archaeological Discovery

900 Year-Old Cemetery at Atalaia investigated by archaeologists.

By Elisabete Rodrigues

Story and photographs from the website:

http://www.sulinformacao.pt/

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Seven graves in the cemetery of the Ribat Arrifana (Fortress Arrifana), located at Ponta da Atalaia (Watchtower Point) in Vale da Telha on the coast of Aljezur, have been excavated by a team of archaeologists co-ordinated by Rosa and Mário Varela Gomes, in a short project during the last fifteen days of July.

Ponta da Atalaia has been described by the “Real Adventures” website as a “fantastic promontory where we can see many ruins and excavations of an ancient Moorish fortress (Ribat) controlled by Ibn Qasî around 1150”.

One of these graves belonged to the twelfth century Ibrāhīm bn bn Sulaymān Hayyān, perhaps one of the monks of this monastery, or an Islamic pilgrim who ended up dying there in 1148 AD.

Or perhaps, as surmised by Rosa Varela Gomes, “did he perish in battle and was buried here? “

How do the researchers know the name of the man buried in just one of about seven dozen graves discovered in the necropolis situated alongside the ancient Ribat?

Thanks to a stele epigraph – ie a tombstone with an inscription carved in stone – which was discovered two years ago, still attached to the head of the grave they were able to identify the man whose skeleton was discovered there.

This and other stele discovered in the Islamic cemetery are considered a find of great importance and rarity. As archaeologist Rosa Varela Gomes explained: “The two epigraphed stelae we found here are the only ones known in situ in the Iberian Peninsula”.

Of the seven graves, another discovery is also said to be an oddity, since it is the skeleton of a woman. “We do not know if it was a woman who lived here,” said the archaeologist, which would be somewhat unusual, since this was a gathering place of Islamic warrior-monks.

Despite the heat, wind and strong sun beating down, the team was dedicated to digging with infinite care, around the skeletons buried in that little peninsula on the sea, nine centuries ago. Sometimes it meant these young archaeologists lying prone on the ground, with their heads hanging down into the pit inches from secular bones.

“There are so many well preserved graves here in this timeline,” explained Rosa Varela Gomes.

But the survey of seven skeletons in as many graves was not the only new discovery of the short fifteen days of the excavations during this summer campaign at Ribat Arrifana.

“The big news was the identification of a section of the wall, about 10 meters south of the Ribat,” explained Rosa Varela Gomes; one more piece in the jigsaw as they try to reconstruct the history of Ribat, which was last year classified as a national monument.

The excavation campaign team coordinated by Rosa and Mário Varela Gomes included further ten students with a Master’s Degree in Archaeology from the New University of Lisbon, as well as the anthropologists Nathalie and Filipa Antunes Ferreira dos Santos Amado.

The presence of two anthropologists is essential for monitoring the survey and making further study of the osteological remains, ie the skeletons removed from the old cemetery. After the field work, “the osteological estates are now being cleaned and studied at the Laboratory of Archaeology FCSH UNL,” said Rosa Varela Gomes.

After the early years, the campaigns of archaeological excavations have relied on the logistical and financial support of the Chamber of Aljezur and the Gulbenkian Foundation. This latest project was only possible thanks to the research project funded by the Fondation Max van Berchem, Geneva.

This time, Mário Varela Gomes lamented, ‘the Board has not given us accommodation or transport, as in previous years, which is unfortunate. We are not asking for money, we just needed logistical support, namely that let us accommodate students in the sports gymasium’.

A Sufi master grappling with Christians

For the past twelve years, ie, since 2002, the archaeologists and Mário Rosa Varela Gomes have co-ordinated excavations at the tip of Ponta da Atalaia, a small rocky promontory, on the coast of Aljezur.

At its tip, in the troubled twelfth century, there was a Ribat, a kind of fortress-monastery, inhabited by Muslim warrior-monks who took a vow of poverty, led by the celebrated Ibn-Qasi, a Sufi master who then inhabited the community until the Moors were driven out of Portugal by the Christian Knights of D. Afonso Henriques.

During over a dozen archaeological campaigns, researchers have already uncovered several structures of the ancient monastery-fortress, namely the circular base of the minaret, with its mosques mihrabs (oratories facing Mecca), Koranic school ( madrasa ) and necropolis. Because these, by neccessity of cost and opportunity, are short archaeological campaigns, much work remains to be done—in fact only about a third of all the Ribat is already dug.

The Ribat of Ponta da Atalaia is considered the most important structure of its kind in the Iberian Peninsula and its discovery has sparked the interest of researchers across Europe. It is, according stressed Rosa Varela Gomes, the “most western Islamic archaeological site of Europe.”

Classified as a national monument last year – the only one of the entire municipality of Aljezur – the Ribat is located on private land, but has not yet been purchased by the state, something that came to be expected in the first version of the Southwest Coast Polis Environmental Assessment Study of the Strategic Intervention for Rehabilitation and Improvement of the Southwest Alentejo and Costa Vicentina / Polis Coastal South,

Over the years of archaeological work, the Ribat Arrifana has been visited by many citizens of Islamic countries, some quite distinguished, especially princes, ambassadors and other dignitaries.

These contacts left the arachaeologists constantly hoping that they would generate some financial and logistical support, taking into account the historical importance of the site for Muslims. But so far none has been fortchcoming.

Europe’s best known Retirement Secret!

American journalist Kathleen Peddicord*, writing this month in the US News & World Report, lists 11 reasons to retire to Portugal’s Algarve………….

She says the golf courses, beaches and European lifestyle are among the many attractions of southern Portugal and claims that Portugal’s Algarve, home to more than 100,000 resident expat retirees, could be the best place in the world to retire that nobody’s talking about. Particularly appealing are the two municipalities of Silves and Lagoa that are situated slightly west of the center of Portugal’s southernmost province. In these two spots, you can enjoy the best the region has to offer, from medieval towns and fishing villages to open-air markets, local wine and some of Europe’s best sandy beaches. This is a land of cobblestoned streets, whitewashed houses with lace-patterned chimneys and everywhere there are fig, olive, almond and carob trees.

Here are 11 reasons the Algarve qualifies as one of Europe’s top retirement havens:

1. Great weather. This region enjoys one of the most stable climates in the world and 3,300 hours of sunshine per year, meaning more sunny days than almost anywhere else in Europe. As a result, the Algarve has a longstanding reputation as a top summer destination among European sun-seekers and a top winter retreat for those looking to escape Northern Europe’s coldest months. It’s a popular holiday destination among the Portuguese year-round, and the Spanish love the region’s wilder western coast.

2. Safety. Portugal ranks as the 17th safest country in the world. Violent crime is rare, and petty crime is limited to street crime during the busy tourist season.

3. Good infrastructure. Portugal and the Algarve have enjoyed important infrastructure investments, specifically in the country’s highway network and airports. This could be a great base for exploring all of Europe and northern Africa.

4. International-standard health care. Medical tourism is a growing industry in the region, particularly if you are interested the aesthetic, hip replacement and dental specialties.

5. Golf. The region boasts 42 courses in less than 100 miles and is generally recognized as a top golfing destination in continental Europe, and some would say the world.

6. Great beaches. The Algarve’s 100 miles of Atlantic coastline is punctuated by jagged rock formations, lagoons and extensive sandy beaches, many awarded coveted blue flags from the European Blue Flag Association. The water off these shores is azure and the cliff-top vistas are spectacular. Most beaches have lifeguards during the summer season. Many have restaurants or snack bars, sometimes open only seasonally.

7. Affordable cost of living. The cost of living in Portugal is among the lowest in Western Europe, on average 30 percent lower than in any other country of the region. A retired couple could live here comfortably but modestly on a budget of as little as $1,500 per month. With a budget of $2,000 per month or more, you could enjoy a fully appointed lifestyle in the heart of the Old World.

8. English is widely spoken. Thanks to Portugal’s strong historic and cultural links with England, English is widely spoken in the country in general and even more so in the Algarve, the country’s main tourist draw. Retired here, you could get by without learning to speak Portuguese if you wanted to.

9. Healthy living and eating. The Portuguese are the biggest fish eaters per capita in Europe, and fresh fish of great variety is available in all the ever-present daily markets. In addition, the abundance of sunshine in this part of the world means an abundance of fresh produce is also available in the local markets.

10. Retirement income is not taxed. Recent legislation allows resident foreign retirees to receive pension income in the country tax-free. The law also provides for reduced taxation on wages, intellectual property, interest, dividends and capital gains.

11. Severely undervalued property market. Real estate in Portugal is undervalued and among the most affordable in Europe. Further, Portuguese real estate has one of the most favorable price-to-rent ratios (a measure of the profitability of owning a house) and price-to-income ratios (a measure of affordability) in the region. What that means is that housing is cheaper to buy and investors can make more money from rentals than in many other European countries. Print Email

So, what else does the Algarve have to offer?

Kathleen Peddiford writes:

Portugal’s Algarve, located at Europe’s westernmost tip and boasting more than 100 miles of Atlantic coastline, could be Europe’s most famous secret. This region boasts Europe’s best beaches, Europe’s best golf courses, some of Europe’s friendliest folk, and Western Europe’s lowest cost of living. It’s also Europe’s newest tax haven.

European retirees have recognized all that the Algarve has to offer for a long time and this sunny coastal region is the chosen destination for more than 100,000 of them. Beyond Europe, the Algarve is largely ignored as a retirement haven.

However, if a Continental lifestyle appeals to you and don’t have the budget for France, Italy, or Spain, this could be an appealing alternative, that offers history, Old World charm, and spectacular beaches.

Portugal has been named Europe’s “Best Golf Destination” for 2014, and 40 of its top courses are in the Algarve.

What else could you do with yourself, retired to this part of the world?

Fatacil, the large fairgrounds in the province, hosts the International Algarve Fair every June. This unites the local and expatriate communities, as does the annual summer fair in August, with daily live concerts. Admission is a few euros a ticket per day, and you won’t find better value for money on a sultry summer night.

The Medieval Fair in Silves is a celebration of the city’s roots and features dancers, jugglers, flame-throwers fire-eaters, and snake charmers, along with a feast of regional cuisine. Many attend in period costume.

In Lagoa, the annual sweets festival showcases delicacies produced from local ingredients, including fig, orange, almond, and carob. And once a year in June the municipality celebrates the start of sardine season with more festivals and grilled sardines on every restaurant menu. Order by the half-dozen.

Throughout the year there are open-air jazz and classical concerts, most free. Experience jazz at Lagoa’s Sitio das Fontes and local youth concerts at the Lagoa Auditorium. The Arade Congress Centre is the place to come for special events, from a motor car launch to a performance by the Russian ballet or the finals of the World Dance championships.

If you’re looking for sporting and outdoors activities, try kayaking, paddling, or cave fishing on the Arade River. The sailing schools at the river mouth are a bargain by international standards.

Bottom line, Portugal in general and the Algarve in particular offer an opportunity to savour the best of an old-school, Old World lifestyle at a very affordable cost.

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*Kathleen Peddicord is the founder of the Live and Invest Overseas publishing group. With more than 28 years experience covering this beat, Kathleen reports daily on current opportunities for living, retiring and investing overseas in her free e-letter. Her newest book, “How To Buy Real estate Overseas”, published by Wiley & Sons, is the culmination of decades of personal experience living and investing around the world.

by Matt D’Arcy

When a surfer talks about a “Beach Break” he’s not talking about his two-week annual holiday reclining on the sand in a sunny southern European country.

To a surfer the term “beach break” refers to the point where the waves break on the sandy seabed; the type of wave regarded as the best on which to start surfing.

But the fact remains that whether you are a sunbather looking to develop a healthy-looking tan, or a surfer seeking the perfect wave, you’ve everything you need here in south-west Portugal.

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The wild Atlantic coastline of Portugal is world-renowned as a Surfer’s Paradise.

Those huge, curling white-capped waves racing across the ocean to hit landfall on the most westerly coastline of mainland Europe present a huge challenge to even the most accomplished of surfers.

In fact CCN Travel rated Aljezur’s Carrapateira beach at 31st in their list of the Top 50 surf spots in the world.

Vale da Telha’s own surf star Kasper van Nuland, who won the Algarve Overall Longboard competition in 2011, describes the surf along the Aljezur coastline as “Magic”.

It certainly cast a spell on Kasper!

This former Dutch police officer even chose Vale da Telha as the place he wished to live and set up his business despite first sampling the surf at Soorts-Hossegor, 20 miles north of Biarritz in the south west of France, which has been called “the surfing capital of Europe”.

Enthusiasts say that there the top professionals can ride tubes,(“when the crest (or lip) of a breaking wave curls over and around a surfer, the resulting situation creates an open area within the wave through which the rider can navigate. This is the epitome, pinnacle, and all-time golden moment in surfing. This, my friends, is a tube”) which can rival Hawaii for heavy walls breaking on an unnervingly shallow sandbank.

Surfing is also a major sport in Portugal’s north, and British surfer Andrew Cotton is waiting to see if he becomes the official World Record holder—and wins a place in the Guinness Book Of World Records—for surfing the biggest wave ever.

In February this year, surfing in Nazaré, 70 miles north of Lisbon, he rode a wave thought to be 24.3 metres (80 ft) high, which would beat the current record of 23.7 metres (78 ft).

In fact American champion surfer Garrett McNamara, from Hawaii, who set a previous world record at Nazaré, is to tour the country’s coastline shooting a video documentary aimed at putting Portugal on the map for surf travellers.

But Kasper, 41, and from Scheveningen—one of the eight districts of The Hague and a modern seaside resort with a long sandy beach, an esplanade, a pier, and a lighthouse—prefers the all-year round action along the Aljezur and Algarve coasts.

He explains: “Hossegor does have great waves but there are too many times when you can’t get a wave. You could book a two-week surfing holiday there and find the whole time that the sea is too flat.

“Here you can surf all the year round and when I first came here I was surprised at the amount of swell during the summer days. There is always an Atlantic swell and it also remains good for surfing in winter. The sea temperature is around 15 degrees, so it is not too cold and you can always find a wave.

“Obviously last winter we had unusually big storms here, Storm Surge Hercules, for example, which did so much damage to beaches like Monte Clerigo.

“But the beauty of being a surfer here is that when the waves are so huge and dangerous like that you can easily go down to Lagos, barely half an hour away, where the waves have lost their speed as they around the Cape, and surf there.

“It means you can surf throughout the year, and that’s why this corner of Portugal is magic for surfers.”

Obviously more and more surfers are beginning to feel the same way, as we see surf houses and surf schools proliferating all around us in Vale da Telha and Aljezur.

“The number of schools here is growing because moré and more people across Europe are discovering what I did all those years ago—that this really is a magical area for surfing.

“But the authorities need to keep a close eye on it because you can have too many surfers in the water and on the beach, so it has to be tightly controlled.”

Kasper, whose HQ is located towards the rear of Jose’s “Restaurante de Vale da Telha” on the Pines roundabout, is concerned more with the sale and supply of surfing equipment than about operating a surf school and giving lessons, although he does make sure he gets on the water just about every day, for enjoyment.

He sells state-of-the-art surfing equipment to surf schools and individuals across Portugal alongside a successful international mail-order business via his website www.kavanusurf.com

After serving with the Royal Military Police in Apeldoorn he was transferred to The Hague—a dream move, because at the time he was a fanatical windsurfer.

Eventually he joined the civilian police there and bought an apartment in Scheveningen, where he would frequently go out surfing at 7am, after finishing night patrols.

Also, he would store up his vacation time to the point where most winters he and girlfriend Marike would “hibernate” (in his words) to France or Portugal for a couple of months in his motor home.

“Surfing was a good hobby to alleviate the stress of wondering the streets at night catching crooks,” he said. “Eventually I began to look on the police work as the hobby and the surfing as my real job.

“So it made sense to turn that into reality.”

On January 1^st 2007 Kasper and Marike left their jobs in Holland, bought a bigger campervan and set off for Aljezur, without any real idea of what the future would hold, other than to chill out and learn the language.

Back home Kasper had been given a small sponsorship deal with the international surf company ProLimit’s Netherlands division and when he “pitched” a sales plan for Portugal to export manager Edwin Honsbeek, he was given a licence to sell their products in this country.

It took some time to get a foothold in the market, and eventually he embarked on a sales tour across the country, mostly in the surfing hotbeds of Northern Portugal, where he gradually became accepted, both as a supplier and as a surfer through various competitions.

Now, he says, surfing has become part of daily life here in Aljezur and Vale da Telha, whether during his lunch break or in the evening after work.

“I just surf for my own pleasure,” he says. “And it certainly is a great pleasure to surf here. There are several great surf spots all around us, each of them having a different location so you can shelter from the north wind, or the “Nortada”.

“Arrifana is the beach I use most. It is such a versatile spot. It has a very good beach break and when a heavy swell arrives you can also surf the right point in the bay.”

Since 2009 Kasper has been working with large numbers of surf schools and shops throughout Portugal and has enjoyed an expansion of the business each year since then to the point of designing clothes and working closely with the Prolimit design team in South Africa.

“Life doesn’t get much better than this—it really is a paradise here on Vale da Telha,” he smiles. “When we get back home to the Netherlands it strikes me how cold it can be and how much everyone is in a hurry.

“Here the pace is slower and the Algarve now is truly our home, a wonderful place to bring up our children.

“There are no restrictions when you go surfing. Total freedom!

“Sun, surf, beautiful surroundings and relaxed people—what more could you want?”

And finally, although surfing is his business it remains his hobby, prompting him to observe:

“Don’t take surfing too seriously. In the water, it’s all about having fun!”

ENDS

Technical details of all Aljezur’s surfing beaches.
……Information from the pamphlet “Surf Guide, Aljezur 2014”.

Surf Beaches Of Aljezur

PRAIA DA AMADO

Amado is a vast sandy beach, secluded and quiet, located just south of the town of Carrapateira and the village of Bordeira in the county of Aljezur. It is considered to be one of the best beaches in Portugal for surfing.

Praia do Amado is sought by practioners throughout Europe and is often the scene of international competitions. It is not only the most experienced who come here because there are surf schools that teach the sport.

Type: Barrelling.

Direction: Left and right.

Suitable for: Beginners.

Length of ride: 100 to 200 metres.

Best wind direction: East.

Tide: High.

Hazards: Strong tides.

Easy access, guarded beach during the bathing season, plenty of car parking, beach café.

N, 37 degrees, 10’, 1,02”, W 8 degrees, 54’, 14,21”

Beach-break.

 

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PRAIA DA CARRAPATEIRA

Carrapateira sits on a small indented headland of limestone cliffs. The extremely fast southbound current and the jutting headland make the conditions which have made it a popular surfing destination in recent years.

The Carrapateira beach break can be world class when all the right conditions come together, offshore wind, a good swell and rightly positioned sandbanks. Clean tubes and a solid wall are the results.

Type: Barrelling.

Best wind: SE, East, NE, East.

Direction: Right hand.

Tide: Mid.

Suitable for: Intermediate.

Hazards: Rocks.

Length of ride: 50-100 metres.

Infrastructure: No. The best access is from the top, South. Guarded beach during the bathing season.

NB 37 degrees, 12’ 0, 42” W 8 degrees, 53’, 5.3, 82”.

Beach-break.

 

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PRAIA DE VALE FIGUEIRAS.

The area where the Vale de Figueira beach is situated is one of great natural beauty, still standing near the village of Alfambras, a sparsely populated area. It is an extensive golden sandy beach.

To support sports activities there are several surf schools that claim to help those who have not previously ventured into the sport.

Easy pedestrian access. No parking. Pets not allowed. Naturism. Guarded beach during the bathing season. Activities, surf and sport fishing.

N 37 degrees, 16’,13”, W 8 degrees 51’,35”.

 

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PRAIA DA ARRIFANA

Blue flag beach, vast and sandy and half a mile long it forms a small bay and is therefore less hit by waves. It is protected by a north rock which shields the bay from the traditional north winds.

Equipped with all of the necessary infrastructure this beach is visited throughout the year by surfers and bodyboarders.

Type: Occasionally barrelling.

Best wind: All directions.

Direction: Right hand.

Tide: All.

Suitable for intermediate.

Hazards: 2 big rocks on the inside.

Length of ride: 100-200 metres.

Infrastructure: Toilets, showers, parking, restaurant, beach with easy access for the disabled, supervised during the bathing season.

N 37 degrees, 17’, 31, 43”, W 8 degrees, 51’  54, 85”.

Point-break.

 

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PRAIA DE MONTE CLERIGO

It’s a long sandy beach situated next to the small fishing village of Monte Clerigo. The sea, when conditions are right, makes it a popular spot for surfing and bodyboarding and in the season there is a surf school.

Please be aware that there is a strong undertow and current just off the beach. Along the the south-east fringe of the beach there is an area of sand dunes.

There is a decent beach break that can be good if the shifting banks are positioned right and the wind is offshore. Has a good swell, but is very exposed to the wind.

Type: Ordinary.

Wind direction: Right hand.

Suitable for beginners.

Length of ride: Short.

Crowds: An empty line-up.

Best wind direction: SE, E, NE.

Tides: High.

Hazards: None.

Infrastructure: Toilets, showers, parking, first-aid station, bars/restaurants, disabled toilets and guarded beach during the bathing season.

N 37 degrees, 20’22, 47, W 8 degrees, 51’, 12.99.

Beach-break.

 

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PRAIA DE AMOREIRA

At the mouth the River Aljezur there is this spectacular beach surrounded by dunes and cliffs, the sea and the river. It has excellent conditions for the practice of surf and bodyboarding and tends to become increasingly crowded.

This spot has little or no wind unlike other surf spots along the Aljezur coastline which are more exposed to strong winds in the area

Here, you can always count on good waves.

Infrastructure: bar/restaurant, telephone, guarded beach during the bathing season, parking,

N 37 degrees,  21’17, 26”,  W 8 degrees, 50’44.25”

Beach-break.

 

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PRAIA DE ODECEIXE

Praia de Odeceixe is the last beach in the Algarve for those travelling along the coast from the south.

It borders the Alentejo and also has access to the other side of the river.

Located at the mouth of the river Seixe is an extensive sandy beach, great for practicing surfing and canoeing on the river. This spot has little or no wind and you can always count on good waves.

Infrastructure: Toilets and showers, parking, bar, telephone, supervised during the bathing season.

N 37 degrees, 26’ 29. W 8 degrees, 47’ 56”

Beach-break.