Islamism in Portugal “está bem e recomenda-se (is well and well-recommended)”. This is a very Portuguese expression, which portrays the familiar feeling that this is one of the friendliest countries in the world for Muslims, a little Paradise for the Halal tourism and a place where visitors of any nationality are very welcome.
A deep heritage from five centuries of Islamic presence
Many hours of sunshine and extensive sea coast, tasty food for The Muslims palate, and an inexpensive cost of living, incredible culture and Islamic history. Sheltered at the eastern end of Europe, Portugal is a country of incredible cultural splendour that promises travellers the best of the ancient and the new!
Formerly known as part of the Al-Andalus territory (western Spain), Portugal has been under Islamic rule for over 500 years! Its charming cities, architecture, art, language and society reveal some marks of its widespread Islamic influence.
Even recently, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Islamic community, established since the 1960s in the country’s capital, the country’s current president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said that “Islam is part of the Portuguese soul” and that although they may not always be well aware of the “profound heritage left by the Arabs in Portuguese Society and Culture, that heritage was and continues to be very important”.
Maintaining an excellent third place in the Global Peace Index (GPI), ranking as one of the safest countries in the world (and only surpassed worldwide by Iceland and New Zealand), the country offers a great sense of security. Allied to the usual sympathy and curiosity of its people, with which the Portuguese embrace other cultures, perhaps these are reasons why some argue that Portugal is a “little paradise” for Muslims and a case study in Europe.
Currently, it is known that over 65,000 Muslims live in Portugal (a number that results from three main historical processes: imperial cycles, migration and secularization flow), the majority being Shias, followed by 5,000 to 7,000 Sunni Muslims and a small number of Ahmadiyya Muslims that also live in the country.
Most of them are mostly living in the Greater Lisbon area, where there is even an Islamic school, called the International School of Palmela, which welcomes students from all over the world. Nevertheless, it is estimated that there are a total of more than 40 mosques and places of worship spread across the North and South of the country, where small communities are settling down and attracting a new type of tourism to Portugal: Halal tourism.
Portugal Halal, when and what to visit
Attentive to the increase in Muslim population and Muslim tourism, Portugal gradually begins to position itself as a destination of choice for the Halal tourism, with an increasing number of accommodation and lodging options being prepared to welcome these visitors.
Some of them are set to include specific spaces for prayer, separate pools for men and women and a varied offer of dishes prepared according to halal rules just as it is increasingly easy to find butchers and shops with specific products for Muslims, which are businesses and places that comply with the Quran’s recommendations.
The best time to visit the country is between March-May (Spring) and September-November (Autumn), when temperatures are milder and more pleasant, prices are lower, and hotels are less crowded than in the high season (Summer).
We suggest you start in the capital, which, as already mentioned, has a strong Islamic community and many places of interest to visit. Lisbon (formerly Al-Lixbûnâ) easily outperforms other European cities, for its charm, historical heritage, modernism and multicultural inhabitants.
On one of its hills, one can see” the castle of São Jorge”, built by Muslims after the 11th century. Going up to the top you can enjoy one of the most beautiful views of the city and see part of “Cerca Moura”, the oldest wall in Lisbon used to protect the city during the Muslim presence. While in the oldest part of the city, we recommend a walk through the typical neighbourhoods of Lisbon, passing through” Mouraria”, one of the areas with the most flavours of Islam.
On the west side of Lisbon, is “Belém”, which, with its impressive monuments and museums, beautiful parks and the famous “Tejo” estuary, should also be on the list of any itinerary through Lisbon. Then, in the centre of the city, “Avenida da Liberdade” with its trendy cafes and designer stores is one of the places of reference for shopping, as it goes down to the famous Arco Triumphal of “Rua Augusta”, also with a beautiful view of the city and the Tagus River.
Close to the metro station of another commercial area, El Corte Inglès, is the Central Mosque of Lisbon, opened in 1985. The mosque does not end in a prayer space. Still, it has room for Arabic classes as well, with many students who themselves may be or not be Muslims, a cafeteria and an auditorium where debates are regularly held, among other rooms.
It is also in the capital, that there are many Halal restaurants to choose from, such as the Marrakesh restaurant or the Zaafran with a wide variety of dishes, and also the Lebanese Corner, with delicious Lebanese food!
Another city which is very close to Lisbon that can be easily visited is Sintra. Here you will find the Moorish castle, built by Muslims in the 9th century and which has beautiful views of the mountains, as well as the “Pena Palace”, renowned for its eclectic mix of Muslim and Oriental architecture. Not to mention the charming streets of Sintra without the hustle and bustle of the capital, where there are picturesque alleys and lovely gift shops.
For those who want to get to know more of the country, we suggest that you go down to the “Alentejo” region, towards the “Algarve” (al-Gharb), the Portuguese territory with the most prolonged Muslim presence (8th to 13th centuries) and where the most beautiful beaches can be discovered.
When passing through the lower Alentejo, make sure to visit the cities of Beja (Baja) and Mértola (Mārtula), where the best-known example of Islamic architecture in Portugal is located – the old city mosque, built in the second half of the 12th century and later transformed into a Christian church, called the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption of Mértola. It’s the mother church of this city and the only structure in which the features of a mosque are still recognized.
Finally arriving at the South, in the Algarve, there are many places to choose from, such as the cities of Faro (Santa Mariya al-Harum) and Silves (Silb), where the terraces of the Algarve houses, the decorative arts and the tiles all accuse the Muslim presence in Portugal.
Whether “the Porta da Vila de Faro” or “the Castelo de Silves” is one of the few places in Portugal where you can still see the horseshoe arches of Arab influence, that have resisted up until today.
The Castle of Silves is indeed a great example of Arab and Islamic architecture, consisting of rammed earth walls and thick towers, with a huge cistern that rises in the centre with a domed vault and five round arches. And it is also in Silves that the Luso-Arab Studies Center is located.
In the same way that in another nearby city, the city of Tavira, the long-awaited Islamic Museum, which just recently opened, can finally visit, showing the impact of Islam in the region and establishing the bridge between the past and the present.
Finally, following the touristic-cultural itinerary centred on the Umayyad domain in the Mediterranean, which covers Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, Sicily, Spain (Andalusia) and the Algarve, it is possible to visit the 14 locations of this region that integrate the route and to enjoy once again the landscape and cultural diversity of the territory, as well as its fantastic local cuisine.
The Invisible inheritance and a lasting relationship
In addition to the vestiges of a Past strongly linked to Islam, in some of the existing architecture in Portugal, the Arab and Muslim influence affects many other relevant areas of Portuguese daily life – from language to poetry, from manual arts to music, from agriculture to fishing, from commerce to science – to list just a few things on which this influence goes so often unnoticed, but which inevitably forms part of an intangible heritage that determines who the Portuguese are today.
In the book “Portugal: Echoes of an Arab past”, by Adalberto Alves, one of the greatest scholars and lovers of Arab culture in Portugal, the author goes through all these areas to demonstrate how, for example, without the Arab influence, the Portuguese may not have discovered the navigation techniques that allowed them to expand the limits of the known world, in the sixteenth century, nor the irrigation systems that are used to cultivate the olive, fig and almond plantations so common in the Algarve region.
It is a good book for finding out more about this relationship, which lasts until today, and which goes far beyond the terminology of the regions, cities and villages that you can find on your trip (Algarve, Aljezur, Albufeira, Alcântara, Alfama, Beja, Bensafrim, Ourém, Odemira, Odiáxere etc.). Therefore it can be used as a reference among other sources available on this topic.
Although there is still a lack of knowledge among some of the Portuguese regarding the historical perspective, that highlights their connection with Muslims and the Arab people, or even about the Islamic religion in general; there has always been from most of the population a good acceptance of diversity and a particular curiosity in getting to know what is different.
Portugal is an excellent example of the possibility of harmonious coexistence between different communities. A country that is friendly to Muslims and a small paradise that is now starting to be a promising destination for Halal tourism. “Oxalá” (may God allow it), another word of Arabic origin used in the Portuguese language, will always stay that way! And that more and more people may have the opportunity to visit it! Insha’Allah
