The City of Moura - History and nature

On the left bank of the Guadiana river, quite close to Spain and the Alqueva water dam, you will find the city of Moura. It lies in the Lower Alentejo region. The most common tree is the olive tree, some of them are a thousand years old. There are also some cork oaks and holly oaks as well as some vines growing in the region. Moura is first and foremost famous for olive oil, one of the best in the world which continues to win prizes year after year internationally. But do not miss their wines (both white and red) as well as their local jams and cured meat. The cows, sheep, pigs and goats thrive out in the open, eating grass all year round and the acorns which gives the pork a rich and healthy taste of omega 3. This region is also a Mecca for cheese lovers, you can find fresh or cured cheeses made out of cow, sheep or goat milk. Try also some local sourdough bread, dip it in olive oil, add some olives and some cured ham. Finish off with some local pastries. This is basically all you need in life to be happy.

The vicinity to the Guadiana and Ardila rivers made it easy for prehistoric people to travel all the way from the sea inland towards this region. The soils are good for farming and also rich in precious metals which attracted early metallurgical societies such as the Celts, Phoenicians and Romans. During the Roman period, the city was called Aruci Novum meaning New Aruci. The old city of Aruci, also called Arucci Turobriga, being the Spanish town of Aroche, lies closeby on the other side of the border and the Medieval Legend of Salúquia and her fiancee connects the two towns. When the Moors conquered the lands the name of Aruci Novum was altered to Al-Manijah. They also introduced the citrus fruits to the region, which carry fruit now in February.

In the old city center you've got a castle and some proper castle walls encircling the summit. The origin of the fortification is from the Iron Age, but it was strengthened and expanded during the Islamic and Medieval periods. Inside the castle you've got two sources of fresh water, which make water flow to two separate fountains today and which also explains why they chose to position their fortress in that place. The city and surroundings was definitely conquered by Christians by the year of 1295. That year the king D. Diniz granted a carta de foral to the city, thus turning it into a municipality with it's own city/neighbours council and certain legal rights. Only the kings had the right to issue a foral to a town and it helped the countryside to break loose from the very old Visigothic feudal system. The farmers got more freedom and the town came into direct control under the king, instead of that of a local landlord/noble, who could become a tyrant treating every animal and person as his living property. The foral granted public lands for collective use, regulated the taxes, protected the rights of the community and the individuals living therein as well as demanded that a certain number of inhabitants answer when called for military duties.

Carmelite Convent

The first Carmelite Order and convent in the Iberian Peninsula was established in Moura in 1251, during the reign of D. Afonso III. They were a Catholic mendicant order with roots in Mt. Carmel close to Haifa in the Holy country and was thus linked to the Christian reqonquista both in Portugal and Spain as well as in the Eastern Mediterranean regions. The Carmelite convent looks a bit shabby from the outside but a visit inside is a must if you like to appreciate the architecture fully.

Official Home Page of Moura