Moura

Moura is a municipality - in Portuguese: Pt [[concelho]] or Pt municipio - Portugal, located in the District of Beja and the area of the Alentejo.

Geography

The average distance between each locality of the municipality is of 16.3 kilometers. The surface of the municipality is 958 km ². The population rises as for it with 16.590 inhabitants (census of 2001).

History

The left bank of Guadiana always was under the political influence of Seville. She played a big role during the Middle Ages and this, to the War of the Restoration.

The origin of Moura goes back to prehistoric times. Presences of settlement at the iron age (of XIIe in IIIe century before our era) were noted in Castro da Azougada to 4 km of the locality.

Roman epoch

During the Roman domination (of IIIe century before J. - C. in Ve after J. - C.) Moura will know a fort Increase in population, being translated many farms (villæ). The city is then integrated into the province of Bétique Occidental. It remains of this period the old Roman bridge on the Brenhas river.

Arab time

Moura knows one boom during the Arab period which extends from VIIIe in XIIIe century. The heritage of this time is particularly visible in architecture, like in the name even of the city which signific in Portuguese " (it) Maure".

The Reconquest

The Christian reconquest (since 1232), integration with the kingdom of Portugal, as its proximity with the border will put Moura in the frontline in the successive wars which will oppose the country to Spain. Several times occupied, the city was always recovered finally by the Portuguese crown. The castle was rebuilt at the beginning of XIVe century and a new enclosure was built in the neighborhoods of 1660.

The problems of the contour of the borders remained alive practically until our days. This irrefutable fact takes all its directions with Contenda. This great property (herdade) currently belongs to the municipality, but belonged until 1892 to a zone of administration common Portugal-Spain. This date marks the end of the tensions, thus imposing a clear delimitation of the borders.

The date of the first " Foral" (charter by which the monarch established a county like such or a site, indicated his administration and defined his rights, its privileges and their limits) of Moura is not clear. One allots nevertheless his most probable confirmation during the reign of Dom Afonso II (1251). The title of " Notável Villa of Moura" (Remarkable City of Moura) which today is still present in its armorial bearings, was allotted to him in 1554, even if in 1525 already, Dom João III had given him such a distinction.

Moura was high with the row of City on February 1st, 1988.

Economy

The weight of the primary sector in the municipality is still very large. It constitutes the economic main activity in term of employment. There exist nevertheless a few production facilities and a tertiary sector in full growth.

The emblématique company of the municipality is without any doubt Agua Castello well-known of the Portuguese, which has his source there, like its chains of congestion.

The production of olive oil is also particularly characteristic of the area. The importance of the olive oil for the local economy and regional pushed Moura with organized the fair OlivoMoura, a fair entirely dedicated to agriculture and the breeding, but with a emmphase particular with the related questions with the culture of the olive-tree and the production of its oil.

Solar power station

Portugal will build in 2006 in Moura the largest solar power station Photovoltaïque of the world, with 350.000 Solar panels installed on 114 hectares and a production capacity of 62 megawatts (to be compared with the 1500 megawatts produced by a Nuclear reactor). It will be six times more powerful than current the larger power station in the world installed in Germany: “Bavaria solarpark”.

Caption

The legend of Sâluquia evokes the disturbed period of the Christian reconquest, at the time where this one was the alcaidess of Moura, girl of Abu-Assan. Saluquia was promised in Brafma, prince of the city close to Aronche. The marriage day before, Saluquia awaited anxious the arrival of sound been engaged and its guests, looking at the landscapes neighborhood, the top of one of the turns of the castle. During this time, with a similar anxiety, Brafma took the road of Moura with a small escort. It ignored the plans of the Christians who learning the behavior from the marriage, thought at once of intercepting it. Dom Álvaro Rodrigues E Dom Pedro Rodrigues was held at the head of a group of Christians who organized a ambush with the Moslems. After the stop of this bloody battle and after the death of the latter, the Christians got dressed with their costumes and moved towards Moura. Saluquia saw them arriving and thought of course that they were her engaged couple and other Moslems. It then lowered the drawbridge which gave access to the castle, thus giving the starting blow to a massacre which will mark the beginning of the Christian domination. Salúquia realizing of this terrible destiny, took the keys of the castle and precipitated tower which still keeps its name. For this day, the legend has told that the city was called then Moura - (It) Moor - in homage to courageous Arabic. Even the reconquistadores Rodrigues also took this name.

Subdivisions

The municipality of Moura is subdivided in 8 civil Portuguese parishes (: Pt [[freguesia freguesias]] ):

Amareleja
Póvoa de São Miguel
Safara
Santo Agostinho (Moura)
Santo Aleixo da Restauração
Santo Amador
São João Baptista (Moura)
Sobral da Adiça

External bonds

Municipality of Moura

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