Castle of the Moors

After the over the top Peña Palace we walked down the hill to the Castelo Dos Mouros (Castle of the Moors). In fact it isn’t a castle any longer but the ruins of what was once I imagine quite an impressive castle.

It was a medieval hilltop castle built by the Moors in the 8th and 9th centuries. It was an important strategic point during the Reconquista, which were the military campaigns that Christian kingdoms waged against the Muslim kingdoms following the Muslim conquest of Spain (710-780).

In the 12th century, the chapel constructed within the walls of the castle became the parish seat. It was also remodelled under King Sancho I of Portugal. In 1375 King Ferdinand I of Portugal, ordered the rebuilding of the castle. It was well fortified by 1383, but most inhabitants were abandoning the castle for the old village of Sintra. By the 16th century a small Jewish community was using and occupying the castle but they were expelled by Manuel I of Portugal.

The 1755 Lisbon earthquake caused considerable damage to the chapel and affected the stability of the castle. It was classified as a National Monument, part of the Sintra Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We clambered up and down the walls of the castle, which provided great views down over Sintra. Some of the paths along the walls were very narrow and didn’t have any railings, which made it interesting and a bit scary when we passed people going the opposite way.Read more