Moorish Barracks

Here is a building that looks like it belongs on the streets of Mumbai rather than the hillsides of Macao, and that is precisely the point. The Moorish Barracks, with its striking arched verandahs and Islamic-influenced design, is one of the most architecturally distinctive buildings in the city, and its story reveals just how far the Portuguese empire stretched. Built in 1874, this elegant yellow building was designed by an Italian architect to house a regiment of soldiers brought to Macao from Goa, the Portuguese territory on the western coast of India. These troops, whom the local population called the Moors, were recruited to help maintain order in the territory during a period of political tension. The building was purpose-built for them, and the architect deliberately incorporated Mughal-influenced architectural elements to make the soldiers feel at home. Look at the pointed arches along the verandahs, the ornamental balustrades, and the way the facade seems to ripple with repeating archways. These details are drawn straight from the architectural traditions of the Indian subcontinent. But this is Macao, so nothing is ever purely one thing. If you look more carefully, you will notice that the building also features Neo-Classical European elements in...