Moros is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the

province of Zaragoza Zaragoza (), also called Saragossa in English,''Encyclopædia Britannica''Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)/ref> is a province of northern Spain, in the central part of the autonomous community of Aragon. Its capital is Zaragoza, which is also th ...

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to sou ...

. Its population was 304 in 2021 (

Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Spain) The ''Instituto Nacional de Estadística'' (INE, 'National Statistics Institute') is the official agency in Spain that collects statistics about demography, economy, and Spanish society. It is an autonomous organization responsible for overall ...

Location and climate

Moros is located in the mountain range known as the

Sistema Ibérico The Iberian System ( es, Sistema Ibérico, ) is one of the major systems of mountain ranges in Spain. It consists of a vast and complex area of mostly relatively high and rugged mountain chains and massifs located in the central region of th ...

. It lies within the valley of the Manubles River, which is a tributary of the

Jalón Xaló (; es, Jalón ), is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Marina Alta in the Valencian Community, Spain. Geography The town of Jalón is located in the Jalón Valley. The Jalón or Gorgos river crosses the town, which has a length of . ...

. The Manubles meanders around the rocky outcrop on which Moros stands. Moros was evacuated in July 2022 because of forest fires.

Unique features

Moros is one of the most attractive and picturesque villages of its kind in the area. Its narrow streets zigzag from the square at its highest elevation down to the river bed below. The houses are the main feature of the town. Hundreds of houses have been built tightly against the sunny side of the mountain. They are built with mud and decorated with red and ochre Arabic tiles. Each level of houses rises above the one beneath it to catch the sun as it rises over the valley. The river below waters the gardens and orchards. The setting is famous for its tranquillity and silence. Two bridges in the area cross the river.

Landmarks

Moros sits on the medieval border separating Muslim (Moorish) and Christian kingdoms. Moros is Spanish for

Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or ...

. Following the expulsion of the Moors it straddled the

Kingdom of Aragon The Kingdom of Aragon ( an, Reino d'Aragón, ca, Regne d'Aragó, la, Regnum Aragoniae, es, Reino de Aragón) was a medieval and early modern kingdom on the Iberian Peninsula, corresponding to the modern-day autonomous community of Aragon, ...

and the

Kingdom of Castile The Kingdom of Castile (; es, Reino de Castilla, la, Regnum Castellae) was a large and powerful state on the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region. It began in the 9th centu ...

. Consequently, the town shows influences of numerous cultures.

Iglesia de Santa Eulalia

The parish church, situated on the crest of the ridge, is dedicated to Saint

Eulalia of Mérida Eulalia of Mérida (Augusta Emerita in 292 - Augusta Emerita 10 December, 304) was a young Roman Christian martyred in Augusta Emerita, the capital of Lusitania (modern Mérida, Spain), during the Persecution of Christians under Diocletian. O ...

. It was influenced by the

Mudéjar Mudéjar ( , also , , ca, mudèjar , ; from ar, مدجن, mudajjan, subjugated; tamed; domesticated) refers to the group of Muslims who remained in Iberia in the late medieval period despite the Christian reconquest. It is also a term for ...

style of architecture which is most evident when viewing the

apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an ''exedra''. In ...

and the church

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tower ...

. Successive accidents (lightning, electrical sparks and fire) have caused damage to the interior and the dome. It has been speculated that the Inmaculada, a sculpture by

Pedro de Mena Pedro de Mena y Medrano (August 1628 - 13 October 1688) was a Spanish sculptor. Biography Pedro de Mena was born in Granada, Andalusia. He was a pupil of his father Alonso de Mena as well as of Alonzo Cano. His first success was achieved in work ...

, may have been destroyed during one of these accidents. Some sources relate that at one time the church also housed a painting by

Titian Tiziano Vecelli or Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italians, Italian (Republic of Venice, Venetian) painter of the Renaissance, considered the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school (art), ...

. Paintings depicting the

Battle of Lepanto The Battle of Lepanto was a naval engagement that took place on 7 October 1571 when a fleet of the Holy League, a coalition of Catholic states (comprising Spain and its Italian territories, several independent Italian states, and the Soverei ...

dating from the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries were also said to have been housed in the church but since have moved to Calatayud after having been purchased for 30,000 pesetas.

Ermita (Hermitage) de San Miguel

Only some remains of this hermitage still exist. It was destroyed in a fire during the sixteenth century.

Ermita de Santa Barbara

Remains of hermitage situated on top of a hill northwest of the village.

Ermita de Virgen de la Vega

Located in the Vega Manubles (river valley) north of town.

Castillo del Rey Ayubb

The Castillo del Rey Ayubb was likely constructed at the behest of

Ayyub ibn Habib al-Lakhmi Ayyub ibn Habib al-Lakhmi (''fl.'' AD 716) was the second Umayyad Governor of Al-Andalus who succeeded his cousin Abd al-Aziz ibn Musa Abd al-Aziz ibn Musa ibn Nusayr ( ar, عبد العزيز بن موسى) was the first governor of Al-Andalus, in ...

( Umayyad governor of al-Andalus in AD 716) where tradition holds he resided during hunting seasons. The nearby city, Calatayud - "The Fortress of Ayyub", was also named for him. The castle also played a role in the wars between Aragon and Castile in the sixteenth century.

References

{{authority control Towns in Spain Municipalities in the Province of Zaragoza