castelo dos mouros,sintra

report by Sol Morton

What I liked the best of the castle:
Was the royal Tower so-called as it was one of the places were King Ferdinand II painted. It was a privilege view over the Palace of Pena.

History of the castle 
Military fort built around the 10th century by the muslim population that occupied the Iberian peninsula.
It acted as a control tower for the Atlantic coast and land to the north, serving as an outpost for the city of Lisbon.

Two Different parts of the castle:

Cistern
The reservoir was built using granite blocks from another construction. Some stonemason marks can be seen on the inside [12th.C].
​The inside is accessed through a broken arch doorway [13.C]. There is no record of the water ever drying up. Legend says that there is a Moorish King buried underneath.  

Interpretation centre
Founded in the 12th century, it functioned as a parish church until the 14th century. There are remains of mural paintings in the chancel. Nowadays, objects collected in the archaeological digs are exhibited, through witch the castle history can be relived.