The musealization works of the Loulé Islamic Baths, one of the most complete of its kind in the panorama of archeology in the Iberian Peninsula and which operated between the 1,3th and 2021th centuries, should start “by the end of the year”. The investment amounts to XNUMX million euros and, if all goes well, the work will be completed in XNUMX.
The public tender for the project was published on the 12th of July, in Diário da República, and was the first step towards advancing the work.
In an interview with Sul Informação, Dália Paulo, municipal director of Loulé, said that, "after the candidacies, the project will start, if all goes well, until the end of the year".
The work will not only museum this complex of Islamic public baths, but also the XNUMXth-century palace: a noble house from the end of the XNUMXth century that was built on top of the Baths.
Thus, the intervention that will take place here will be carried out inside the “Casa das Bicas” and the project intends to carry out the enhancement of the archaeological remains of the Islamic baths, the noble house and the medieval and modern walls, even making the turret there existing visible on the side of Bicas Velhas.
“We have two buildings there, from different periods, which do not exist in the Algarve's heritage and which we have to take advantage of”, Dália Paulo stressed to our newspaper.
The functional organization of the spaces will include a reception/atrium, exhibition space, space for educational services and an outdoor leisure area, in addition to the museum area, which will have information on the route of the visit.
Organized on the ground floor, the space for the baths should remain delimited by the structures that remain from the XNUMXth-century noble house.
The project will include four distinct areas: the entrance area, with a bench where visitors can have a break before or after visiting the nucleus, and the interior entrance that articulates the reception with three specific areas, respectively the museum spaces , the room for educational services and the center of restrooms.
There will also be a third area, consisting of the exhibition room, complemented with a set of information about the Islamic baths, the manor house, the wall-tower set and, finally, a fourth complementary space, consisting of the backyard, ie. , an outdoor area where movie screening is planned.
The musealization work of the Islamic Baths (or hamman) will have an innovative component: a 3D survey that will give the visitor the possibility of getting to know the complex as it was.
«We will be able to see how the baths worked at the time. The 3D survey will be essential in working with the public», explained the municipal director of Loulé to Sul Informação.
In the latest archaeological excavations, carried out by the Mértola Archaeological Field, “some material, more everyday items, such as ceramics and metals” was found. “The protocol with the Archaeological Field of Mértola was very important due to the experience they have”, he added.
«We already have 20 pieces selected to tell the story of that space. We are also going to show the diachrony a little, to understand the evolution of that area of the city over time», said Dália Paulo.
“In addition to the contract, there is another work in progress, which is the preparation of the museum contents of the Interpretative Center and the restoration of the pieces that we are going to have on display, as well as the writing of the texts for the exhibition”, he stressed.
The entire contract costs close to 1,3 million euros and should be completed by the end of 2021, in what is seen as "another step in the cultural affirmation of the city of Loulé".
Photos: Rodrigo Damascene | Sul Informação
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