Castle of Cola

The Castle of Cola (Castelo de Cola) is an Iron Age fortified settlement and later Islamic redoubt in the Alentejo region of southern Portugal, classified as a National Monument. The castro sits at 201 metres elevation on a mountain crest above the Ribeira do Marchicao and Rio Mira, with an irregular polygonal plan measuring 125 metres long and 60 metres wide. Occupation began in the Bronze Age and continued through the Iron Age, Roman, and Medieval Islamic periods. During the 10th-13th centuries, it became an enclosed town with stone walls 2.4 metres thick and 5-6 metres tall, reinforced by squared towers. The site is part of a larger archaeological circuit covering 23 stations across 15 km, including megalithic monuments and necropolises.