The Moorish Castle, Sintra

• Evocative portrait of this dramatic castle and its surronding landscape

Located on one of the hilltops of the Serra de Sintra, the Moorish Castle is a fortress built around the tenth century after the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula. The granite blocks of the Serra are ringed by two irregular-shaped walls, erected amid huge boulders and standing on the top of sheer cliffs. All along the paths encircling the castle are spectacular views over a unique landscape, with the town centre, the Palace of Sintra, the Palace of Pena and, stretching out beyond these, the vast plains to the north and the Atlantic Ocean.