Castelo dos Mouros

The castle was built by the Muslim rulers of the Lisbon region in the eighth and ninth centuries to watch the coast and the approaches to Sintra, taken by Afonso Henriques in 1147, and then left to decay for centuries after its garrison purpose ended. Ferdinand II restored it in the 1840s as part of the romantic reworking of the serra that also produced Pena above it - so what stands is genuine medieval fabric consolidated and partly rebuilt in a nineteenth-century idea of a ruin. The walls run along a granite ridge in a long irregular circuit with towers and a keep, and walking them gives Sintra below, Pena on the neighbouring peak, the Atlantic and, on clear days, Lisbon and the Tagus. Excavations have exposed an Islamic-period silo area and a medieval Christian cemetery inside the walls. Steps are steep, uneven and slippery in the frequent fog.

History

The castle was built in the 8th and 9th centuries, in the time of Muslim rule, as the centre of a farming district and a refuge for its people. After Afonso Henriques took Lisbon in 1147 it surrendered to the Christians, and in a charter of 1154 he gave privileges to 30 settlers who would live in and guard it; its chapel became the parish seat in the later 12th century, Sancho I enlarged it, and in 1375 Ferdinand I had it rebuilt on the advice of João Annes de Almada. By then people were leaving it for the village of Sintra below, the parish moved to the village in the 16th century and the castle was abandoned, and the earthquake of 1755 damaged the chapel; from 1840 Ferdinand II consolidated the walls, replanted the grounds and built a monument to hold the bones found during the work (Wikipedia, Castle of the Moors).

What to look for

• The wall circuit - a long irregular line of towers and rampart along the ridge.
• The 1840s restoration - medieval fabric consolidated into a romantic ruin.
• The view - Sintra, Pena, the Atlantic, and Lisbon on clear days.
• The excavations - Islamic-period silos and a medieval cemetery inside the walls.

When to go

Year-round; the serra is often in cloud, which removes the view entirely. Two hours. Early morning is clearest and least crowded.

Things to know

Very steep, uneven stone steps with drops and few railings - not suitable for anyone unsteady. Fog hides everything a large part of the year. Sintra is severely overcrowded; use the 434 bus rather than driving. Wind on the ridge is strong.

Nearby

Pena Palace is on the neighbouring peak; Sintra's old town is below.

Key facts