Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID
monument;ISL;pt;Mon01;27;ar
Library Location
Mora; Beja, Portugal
Notes
Mora Fort is located between the rivers Prinhas and Roda, overlooking their valleys from an altitude of more than 100 metres. During the Islamic period, Mora was a small village (200 by 120 metres), with an area of approximately 2.4 hectares; Its fortress protected an interior area that did not seem to have any hierarchical system of spaces as is the case, for example, in Portel Castro da Cola and Serpa. During the Islamic period, Mora was considered by Ibn al-Faradi as “a fortress for the villages of Beja”, which are references to the long period in which Mora was subordinate to the seat of Deir el-Blat. With the exception of this information, we do not encounter any reference to this site in historical writings. There are several other elements related to Mora that confirm to us that it was continuously inhabited during the Islamic period, although the scattered nature of the remains does not allow us to coordinate the data. With the exception of several towers built of rammed earth (Tabiyya), which may date back to the Almohad period, there are two elements that carry special importance: the first is the announcement of the construction of a minaret in the middle of the 5th century AH / 11th century AD, the construction of which was ordered by Al-Mu’tadid; Perhaps this was a symbolic position to declare his ownership of the site in an area that would allow him to integrate the local population into the Abadi sect. On the other hand, Meroitic traditions mention the existence of "Seleucia", a tower or part of the fortifications mentioned in the Romantic legend under the name of the last Alcadesa. We note that the fortress wall between the two towers of the Almohad style was built over an old fortification of the Collegiate style. We also notice inside the citadel a fort with a feudal style, with a tower of ceremonies, characteristic of the architecture of the end of the AH 9th century / AD 15th century. Nothing remains today of the walls of the AH 6th century / AD 12th century, which in the past surrounded Mora, except for a small square tower (brij) in the south-eastern area of the fortifications, in addition to the remains of another small tower in the northern area. It is also noted on the main facade of the first tower, which is directed towards the Church of São João Bastia, the remains of the distinctive limestone paintings that were intended to imitate the rubble stones used in the building’s base. It seems that Fort Mura was fortified during the period in which several fortification works were carried out throughout the rest of western Andalusia, in the second half of the 6th century AH / 12th century AD. The wall built of rammed earth (tabiyya), which previously surrounded the entire fort, dates back to that period. The city had a very large Morisco neighborhood, and most of it was demolished when the walls were built in the 11th century AH / 17th century AD. Documents dating back to the late Middle Ages indicate that a group of peasants and craftsmen lived in this neighborhood.
Sample Text
Santiago Macias “Fortress of Mora” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;pt;Mon01;27;ar
