 The many archaeological remains still present from different time periods—Neolithic, Iberian, Roman—reveal an early occupation of the area.Notwithstanding, the first written references are Arabic ones, focusing on its castle, whose advantageous emplacement dominated the Turia river and its natural passage from the lands of Aragon to the city of Valencia.The Muslim fortress of "Al-Dāmūs" was conquered by Peter II of Aragon in 1210, with the aid of the hospitalier and templar knights, who were rewarded with the right to collect some taxes from the area.