The Moors built the castle in the 8th and 9th centuries, although the infobox says only the 8th. The article names no architect or original builder. It was surrendered to Christian forces in 1147 after the conquest of Lisbon, and Ferdinand I ordered rebuilding in 1375. The 1755 earthquake damaged it. Ferdinand II began conservation in 1840, and the walls were reconstructed in 1939.
It is an irregular military outpost on a granite promontory at 1,545 feet (471 m), with a wall perimeter of about 1,476 feet (450 m). It has five rectangular towers and one circular tower, and its materials are granite and limestone.
The Portuguese Republic owns it, and Parques de Sintra operates it. It is a National Monument since 1910 and part of a UNESCO site since 1995.
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