The city of Moura - Heraldry

The legend behind the name of Moura is shown in the city heraldry. You can see a Moorish looking tower with a woman lying in front of it. According to folklore tradition the woman was a Moorish princess named Salúquia and she was also the governor of the city, then named Al-Manijah in Arabic. She was engaged to be married to a man named Bráfama from the nearby city of Aroche. The Christians had regained control to the north and to the west of these regions so the voyage was quite risky for Bráfama to make and he brought a big delegation with him on the way to the princess and their marriage. Meanwhile, the Portuguese king D. Afonso Henriques sent two noblemen to try to take the city. They laid in waiting among the olive groves for the delegation to pass by and overcame them, killing the future husband-to-be Bráfama. Afterwards, the Christian soldiers dressed in the Moorish garbs and went ahead to the castle. In the highest tower Princess Salúquia was waiting for her loved one. When she sees the delegation she orders the gates of the castle wall to open. Too late she realises her mistake and must bear the defeat of her people and her town. As a last act of defiance she takes the keys to the city and throws herself out of the tower. Hence the heraldry sign where you can see she has fallen down the tower, a very sad story. The noblemen were impressed by her courage and renamed the tower after her as well as the city - Terra da Moura Salúquia (Land of Salúquia the Moor).