View of Tomar, Portugal, 2009 (photo)

In I983, UNESCO classified the Templar Castle and the Convent of the Knights of Christ as a world heritage site. In order to establish an easy cohabitation between the town and the convent of the Knights Templar, the castle was built in three distinct walled enclosures, surrounded by an extensive outer wall. The largest enclosure, which faced southwards, was the walled town, whose gateway overlooked the area known as Sete Montes. In the sixteenth century, the town was emptied of its inhabitants and transformed into kitchen gardens and orchards for the monks of the Order of Christ.