Confessions of a Castleholic

You don't really notice the vibrant beauty of the Royal Alcázar of Seville when you first walk up to it. Thick walls and high towers guard the splendours of this royal palace complex dating back to the days of the Muslim rule over the Iberian peninsula, though most of its beautiful rooms were actually built - by Moorish workmen - for the Christian King, Pedro the Cruel of Castile, in the 1360's. Still, the style of the palace is heavily influenced by the Muslim rule of Spain that lasted from the conquest in 711 until 1492, when Granada was recaptured by Christian forces. The word Alcázar actually comes from the Arabic word for castle, al-qasr. And that's what it is. An extensive castle complex including some stunning gardens that actually double as the Water Gardens of Dorne in Game of Thrones. The Real Alcázar  still houses the official residence of the King of Spain whenever he visits Seville thus making it the oldest royal residence in Europe in use. While use ...

It's kind of a sad day here on Castleholic as with the Palácio Nacional da Sintra we will cover the last of the palaces I saw last year in wonderful Sintra, possibly the palace-richest place on earth near the Portuguese capital Lisbon. I will need to go back someday though as in addition to this goodie, the Palácio Nacional da Pena , the Castelo dos Mouros and the Quinta and Palácio da Regaleira , there are still a handful or two of handsome places to see for any castle lover! Of all the many palaces in Sintra, the palace bearing the city's name is the only one located directly in the town centre. While much of today's Palácio Nacional da Sintra originates from the times of King João I of Portugal, royal residences on the site date back even further. During the Moorish Al-Andalus era, after the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in the 8th century, Sintra had two castles: One, the Castelo dos Mouros , was located atop the hill and remains as a romantic ruin, the oth...

The oldest one of all of Sintra's castles is the Castelo dos Mouros or Castle of the Moors. As its name suggests, its history dates back to the times of the five-centuries-long Muslim rule over Portugal which ended in 1249. During the Middle Ages, the term "moors" referred to the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula who initially were Berber and Arab peoples of North African descent. It was them who built the fortification in the Sintra mountains in the 8th and 9th centuries to protect the surrounding areas. Calling it a castle these days might be a bit of a stretch as only ruins remain of the Castelo dos Mouros . Still, the breathtaking views are worth the visit alone. Somehow, there is something magical in climbing walls that are over a thousands years old. It seems unimaginable these days to what length they went to achieve such architectural feats. Just don't forget to take an extra jumper as it can get quite windy up ther...