Castelo dos Mouros, Sintra

Castelo dos Mouros, Sintra - Sintra visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Castelo dos Mouros, Sintra' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Distrito Lisboa.

Castelo dos Mouros (Castle of the Moors), also known as Sintra Castle, is one of the most important tourist attractions in Sintra, Portugal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The castle, built in the 9th century in the Serra de Sintra mountains above the village, is surrounded by dramatic walls and towers and has dramatic views all the way to the Atlantic Ocean, some 12km away. This panorama, taken from the battlements on the castle walls, shows the dramatic view over the surrounding region. Another image shows the wall of the Moorish Castle.

The Moors built the castle to protect strategic routes linking Sintra, Mafra, Cascais and Lisbon. It was successfully attacked by Norwegians in 1109, but remained in Moorish hands until the conquest of Lisbon in 1147 when the Moorish garrison the surrendered to King Afonso Henriques. At the end of the 12th century King Sancho I repaired both the castle and the romanesque Church of Saint Peter, (Igreja de São Pedro) built inside the castle walls.

The Castle of the Moors then fell into decline as the villages moved down the hill to the current site of Sintra and, in the 16th century, the Jews were evicted. In the mid 19th century King Ferdinand II began serious restoration works to the walls and towers.

The Castle of the Moors is surrounded by a double belt of walls reinforced by 5 towers. The Igreja de São Pedro de Canaferrim (Church of St. Peter's Canaferrim) within the walls dates back to the 12th century, decorated with frescoes and contains several graves. Outside the church is a large water cistern, some 18m long, 6m wide and 9m high.

The Castle of the Moors is open to the public as a tourist attraction, entrance fees apply. It opens at 09:30 and closes at 18:00.

Castelo dos Mouros
Estrada da Pena, Sintra
Sintra
Portugal
Phone: 21 923 73 00
www.parquesdesintra.pt

Flight: Lisbon International Airport (LIS).
Road: Sintra IC 19 is about 31km from Lisbon.
Train: Lisboa, Rossio Station - Sintra Station, Queluz, Rio de Mouro, Mercês Stations.