Cultural places in Portugal

Castle • Sintra, Lisboa

On one of the peaks of the Sintra Mountains, the Moorish Castle follows the rocky relief with granite walls that adapt to the mountain. The fortification, of Muslim foundation, dates back to the 10th century and occupied a strategic position in the defence of the territory of Sintra and the maritime approaches to Lisbon. Within and around the walls there was a settlement, today identified as the Islamic Quarter; silos carved into the rock can still be seen, used to preserve foodstuffs such as cereals. In 1147, after the conquest of Lisbon and Santarém, Sintra was handed over to King Afonso Henriques. With Christian settlement, the space gave way to a medieval village, which included the Church of São Pedro de Canaferrim. In the 19th century, King Fernando II promoted restoration works according to Romantic taste. Since 1995, it has formed part of the Cultural Landscape of Sintra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.