The Moorish Castle is located on a high hilltop overlooking the town of Sentra, Portugal. Sentra can easily be reached on a short train tide from Lisbon. The castle is believed to have been built in the 8th or 9th century when large portions of Portugal were occupied by the Moors.

The remains of the castle are only some sections of the high outer walls, lookout towers along with cobblestone trails and gateways into the caste.

My first sight of the castle was from Pena Palace in the morning through thick fog that had cast a blanket over the entire castle. Luckily, the fog cleared and revealed the outer walls of the castle. The photos below are of the fog clearing and when the fog was completely gone.

The best preserved portion of the castle is a large section of the outer wall that connects several of the guard towers. The stairway just inside the defense wall is steep and on the day that we were there it was extremely windy. The third guard tower in the photos below provided a spectacular view of Sentra in the valley below the tower.

A view from inside the guard tower looking up is seen in the next photo.

There are areas where portions of the castle interior still remain. The next photo in an example of one of these areas.

I liked some of the doorways, wall entrances and passageways that were built as part of the castle design and for the security of the castle.

One of my favorite parts of the castle was actually outside of the main inner castle walls. The castle has a second ring of walls that was outside the main walls. The second ring of walls is shorter and protects the pathways outside the main castle walls. The area between the second ring of walls and the main walls was my favorite. This area is natural with large trees, native undergrowth and huge boulders. Walking along these cobblestone pathways was like being in a historic site unspoiled by modern restorations.

I enjoyed seeing this area in its natural state with native plants growing in the green spaces and moss cover rocks and stones. I think it preserved the feeling of the time period as opposed to being in a manicured park.

For a bonus I have included a few photos of the wildflowers growing inside the second ring of walls.

View from the castle

As mentioned before the view of the surrounding area from the castle walls is spectacular. Once the fog cleared away it was easy to see the beauty of this area. The next few photos were taken from the main wall through the defense notches of the wall.

The Moorish Castle and Pena Palace are very close to each other and it is possible to walk between the two of them.

See the link below to check out my previous post on Pena Palace.

The Dust on My Shoes

Visiting Pena Palace and the Moorish Castle in the same day is two totally different experiences. Pena Palace is like being in a fairy tale castle and the Moorish Castle is actually walking through an ancient ruins.

My first thought when I saw the Moorish Castle was that it reminded me of some of the sections of the Great Wall of China that had not been reconstructed because there is not much remaining of the castle except the defense wall and lookout towers which is the same as the Great Wall of China.

Many sites around the world that have been rebuilt to their original state and it is nice to see historic places the way they were in their time period but I really enjoy seeing ancient places that make me feel like I am walking through an ancient historical site.

Many sites around the world have been rebuilt to their original state and it is nice to see historic places in the condition they were in their time period but I really enjoy seeing ancient places that make me feel like I am walking through an ancient historical site.

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