Almourol
The origin of the name Almourol is not known with any real certainty, which makes it difficult to pinpoint its exact meaning. The written form has actually undergone a few variations over time: Almoriol, Almorol, Almourel and Almuriel.
The most widely accepted theory is that the name comes from the Arabic word almoran, meaning "high rock", which would correspond perfectly with the location of Almourol Castle, perched some 18 m above the ground and built on an imposing block of granite.
Built on a small island in the Tagus, between Vila Nova da Barquinha and Praia do Ribatejo, Almourol Castle is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and original of Portugal's surviving fortresses. It is 310 m long, 75 m wide and 18 m high at its highest point.
Archaeological excavations inside and outside the enclosure have unearthed several objects dating back to Roman times (coins) and to the Middle Ages (medals). It even seems that before the Roman invasion, the Lusitanians had already built a small castle on the island. This small castle was taken by the Romans, and then later by other groups, especially the Alans, the Visigoths and the Moors.
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Almourol Castle was won back from the Moors during the Portuguese Reconquista, during the reign of Alfonso I. It obviously represented a nerve centre in the Tagus area at the time of the Reconquista, and later for controlling the trade of oil, wheat, pork, fruit and wood between the different nearby regions and in Lisbon.
Its strategic position was undoubtedly one of the reasons for which the monarch entrusted the castle to the Order of the Temple. After the victorious Battle of Santarem, the king gave Gualdim Pais the mission to build a defensive ring around Alcobaça Abbey, which was offered to Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. Given its location, Almourol Castle could represent an important element for such a measure.
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Between 1160 and 1171, shortly after Tomar Castle had been built, Gualdim Pais started rebuilding Almourol Castle in line with the Templar architectural style, which was also very much in evidence in the Castles of Idanha, Monsanto, Pombal and Tomar, its contemporaries.
With the Reconquest advancing towards the south of the country and after the Order of the Temple had been abolished, the castle steadily lost its important role during the reign of Denis I.
The castle became a listed building by the Decree of 16 June 1910, and new restoration work was carried out between 1940 and 1950. The castle is currently the property of the Ministry of Defence and kept in good repair by the Practical School of Engineering in Tancos.
Legend
An Arab lord and owner of Almourol Castle was betrayed by a Christian knight with whom his daughter had become infatuated. She revealed the secret entrances leading to castle between the Tagus.
The knight used the information to set up an ambush and invade the castle, but the lord and
his daughter threw themselves off the top of castle's towers rather than be
captured...
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