Portugal · 7th century
The Castle of the Moors (Portuguese: Castelo dos Mouros) is a hilltop medieval castle located in the central Portuguese civil parish of Santa Maria e São Miguel, in the municipality of Sintra, about 25 km (16 mi) northwest of Lisbon. Built by the Moors in the 8th and 9th centuries, it was an important strategic point during the Reconquista, and was taken by Christian forces after the fall of Lisbon in 1147. It is classified as a National Monument, part of the Sintra Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Text adapted from “Castle of the Moors” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Castle of the Moors ranks #477 of 9,079 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #8 of the 212 mapped in Portugal. Founded c. 700, it is older than 96% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 39 atlas entries founded in the 7th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 11,723 times in the last 60 days, more than 95% of the atlas. 24 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Sintra, 1 km away. See how Portugal compares in the castle statistics.
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