Castle of the Moors

One of The Places to visit in Sintra is the 8th-century Moorish Castle, The Castelo dos Mouros (Castle of the Moors). Castelo dos Mouros (Moorish Castle) is a popular tourist attractions in Sintra, a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.




The Moorish Castle is of Moorish origin and little is known of the actual history of The Castle. It is located on a high hill overlooking the village. It is constructed by the Moors possibly between the 9th and 10th centuries. The Moorish Castle's dominant position over the bay of Gibraltar can be fully appreciated from this panoramic view of its surroundings.

The decline of the castle began in the 15th century, when most of the population settled downhill, in today's Old Village of Sintra. The Moorish Castle has two walled segments with a total perimeter of 450 metres. The interior wall has a wall walk, battlements and is reinforced by five turrets. The walls at the north segment took advantage of the natural slope of the hill to prevent enemies from approaching the castle. Near the entrance of the castle is the romanesque Church of Saint Peter.



The area around the church was excavated and revealed the existence of a medieval cemetery with many tombs.