Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Moors ruled Évora from the 8th to the 12th centuries. Around the year 1000,
Muslim nobles divided the caliphate into small city-states (like Lisbon), with Évora as
this region's capital. And during its glory years (15th-16th centuries), Évora was favored
by Portuguese kings, even serving as the home of King John III (1502-1557, Manuel I's
son who presided over Portugal's peak of power...and its first decline).
• Start at Évora's main square.
Praça do Giraldo:
This square was the market outside the old city wall during the
Moorish period, and remains a center of commerce and conviviality for country folk who
come to Alentejo's big city for their weekly shopping visits. It was named for Giraldo
the Fearless, the Christian knight who led a surprise attack and retook Évora from the
Moors in 1165. As thanks, Giraldo was made governor of the town and the symbol of the
city. (Évora's coat of arms is a knight on a horse; see it crowning the lampposts.) On this
square, all that's left of several centuries of Moorish rule is their artistry, evidenced by the
wrought-iron balconies of the buildings that ring the square (and the occasional, distinct-
ive Mudejar “keyhole” window found throughout the town).
