The Origins of Fátima

My dear friend, James Frankel, professor of religion at the University of Hawaii at Manoa asked me to inquire about the origin of Fatima, the town’s name. Being an specialist of Islam, he was struck by the fact that Fatima is an Arabic name, so I asked our tour guide. Just as in Spain, the people of Islam also invaded the Kingdom of Portugal beginning in the eighth century. The Moorish occupation of the Iberian Peninsula lasted 800 years. The Christian kingdoms fought against this occupation from its onset starting in the north of the Peninsula heading south. One of the castles conquered from the Moors was called Ourém. The soldier who led the battle was called Gonzalo Hermingues. As a prize, the King of Portugal, Alfonso Enrique gave Gonzalo a beautiful Arabic woman named Fatima. After this, she converted to Christianity and changed her name to Ouriana. Today, the town of Fatima is located in the county of Ourém where the castle was located and the main church there is called Fatima. The exact place where the apparitions occurred is called Cova da Iria, in the town of Fatima, which is in the county of Ourém. Since I found this explanation a bit confusing, I asked for clarification on three occasions. I’m still not completely clear, but it’s a lead.