Castle of the Moors (Castelo dos Mouros) is a castle of the early Middle Ages, built by the Moors during the Arab conquest of Portugal on the dominant mountain peak in the vicinity of the city of Sintra, a suburb of Lisbon.
The Moors built a castle here in the 9th or 10th centuries.
According to the Arab chronicles, the Sintra region was very rich and had fertile fields.
Subsequently, the fortress was repeatedly passed from the hands of Muslims to Christian knights and back.
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In 1147, after King Afonso I occupied Lisbon, the Moors surrendered the castle without resistance.
Afonso I gave the people of Sintra special rights to encourage the development of the region.
During the reign of Sancho I, the castle was renovated and the Temple of Saint Peter (Igreja de São Pedro) was built inside.
In the 15th century, most of the inhabitants went down to where the modern city of Sintra is located.
In the 16th century, the castle lost its strategic importance and was abandoned; its last inhabitants were Jews.
In 1830 the castle was already destroyed, King Fernando II began to restore the castle in the style of medieval romanticism, he managed to rebuild the walls and towers, the temple remained in ruins.
The towers remained in their original place after the reconstruction.
The best preserved section of the wall at the entrance to the castle.
The castle has preserved the original cistern for creating large reserves of water in case of a siege.
There is nothing here but walls, towers and mesmerizing views for miles and main attractions.