Alferce

Civil parish in Algarve, Portugal

Alferce
Civil parish
Coat of arms of Alferce Coat of arms
Alferce is located in Portugal Alferce Alferce Location in Portugal
Coordinates: 37°19′59′′N 8°29′24′′W / 37.333°N 8.490°W / 37.333; -8.490
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	4.6/km² (12/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+00:00 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+01:00 (WEST)
Website	http://www.jf-alferce.pt/

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]

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 ).