Anta da Estria

The Anta do Monte Abraão was a megalithic dolmen located in the parish of Monte Abraão, in Queluz, Sintra Municipality, Lisbon District, Portugal. The dolmen was first identified in 1876, by Carlos Ribeiro, who carried out excavations until 1878 and published his results in 1880. Excavations suggest that it served as a tomb for about 80 individuals and that it dates back to the middle to end of the Neolithic period (4000-2500 BC). The Anta do Monte Abraão and the nearby Anta da Pedra dos Mouros (also known as the Anta do Senhor da Serra) and Anta da Estria are collectively known as the Antas de Belas.The burial chamber of the Anta do Monte Abraão had an east-west orientation. It had at least six upright limestone supporting stones or orthostats and three of these were found in situ by Ribeiro. The polygonal chamber had a diameter of 3.6 metres, approached by an 8 metre corridor that was 2 metres wide. Subsequent work by Vergílio Correia Pinto da Fonseca identified limited drawings on some stones. Despite the destruction of the tomb, excavations have yielded numerous finds, including stone axes, flint tools and blades, flint arrowheads, club heads, pottery ceramics, clay vessels and objects of adornment. These are exhibited at the Portuguese Geological Museum in Lisbon. Apart from the visit by Da Fonseca, Ribeiro’s findings attracted little interest in the dolmen until the 1960s, when archaeologists became concerned about the possible destruction of the Antas de Belas as a result of urban expansion and highway construction. In addition, the Anta do Monte Abrãao was threatened by the activity of a quarry located in its vicinity. The present condition of the stones is poor and extensive graffiti is visible.

The Anta da Pedra dos Mouros (Stone of the Moors), also known as the Anta do Senhor da Serra (Lord of the Mountains), is a megalithic dolmen situated near Belas and Queluz in the Lisbon District of Portugal. It is believed to date back to the late-Neolithic and early-Chalcolithic eras (4000-2500 BC). The Anta da Pedra dos Mouros, the Anta da Estria, and the Anta do Monte Abraão are a short distance from each other and are collectively known as the Antas de Belas. The Anta da Pedra dos Mouros was first identified in the 1850s by Carlos Ribeiro. Despite being registered and protected as a national monument in 1910, the dolmen has recently suffered significant damage.The Anta da Pedra dos Mouros was reportedly first identified in 1856 by Carlos Ribeiro (1813-1882) but he did not have a chance to carry out excavations until 1876 after receiving approval from the landowner, the Marquis of Belas. The burial chamber was at that time already in bad condition, having only three upright support stones, with one apparently having two anthropomorphic figures engraved on it. Ribeiro found three remaining orthostats in situ. The largest one was sloping to the north, 5 meters long, 3.7 m wide and 0.27 m thick. This was partially supported by a second piece, 4.5 m long, 2 m wide and 0.25 m thick, which was in contact with the third stone, which was about 4 meters wide, but rose only one meter above the ground, since it was broken. There were no visible fragments around. During the excavation, Ribeiro also found four smaller slabs. Ribeiro and subsequent studies (by Ferreira, G. and V. Leisner and Boaventura) have produced differing interpretations of both the exact structure of the sepulchre and its orientation. Items found by Ribeiro during his excavations are kept in the Geological Museum in Lisbon. They include a stone axe, flint tools, utensils for domestic use, vases, and human and animal bones. Ribeiro noted that the contents of the tomb had already been disturbed, and that his findings were "not very fruitful". This impression was confirmed by the presence in the spoils of a Portuguese coin dated 1741 and by information from local inhabitants who advised Ribeiro that the tomb had been raided a decade before his excavations. However, contrary to the opinion of Ribeiro (1880) and later authors, the items collected, although scarce, do allow for an overall understanding of the tomb.The site had for a long time been one of pilgrimage for the local population, it being believed that newly married women who slid down the side of the dominant stone would then be able to conceive. These pilgrimages came to an end in 1942 when the landowner forbade access. The dominant stone was found shattered into numerous pieces in June 2010: it remains unclear whether this was caused by vandalism or was the result of detonations during construction of the new A9 Motorway, which passes close to the dolmen.

The Monumento ao Bombeiro or Monument to the Firefighter is a monument/memorial located in the civil parish of Belas, in the municipality of Sintra, in the central region of Portugal. The Monumento was designed to honour the service and sacrifice of several firemen, who lost their lives in 1967, during their efforts to rescue people during the torrential downpours that breached the banks of the Jamor River, causing heavy flooding. In addition to the firemen, many people lost their lives and extensive property damage.Dedicated to Belas' Volunteer Firefighters, the monument was officially dedicated on 24 November 2002, with the presence of the Secretário de Estado adjunto do Ministério da Administração Interna (Adjunct-Secretary of State for the Ministry of Internal Administration), Luís Pais de Sousa and president of the municipality, Fernando Seara, along with other politicians, dignitaries and officials, marking the 35th anniversary of the tragedy. In a speech addressing the crowd, the president of the parish council, Guilherme Dias, reminded the crowd that the statute "served to demonstrate to the people, the respect [we] have for the firefighters. At the bottom we transform in bronze our collective sentiment". In addition to the inauguration, the event served to inaugurate the new vehicles and forest-fighting equipment, ambulances and generators that were acquired for the institution.A medal was impressed officially to honour the firefighters and pay homage to the people who died in the tragedy.The monument was designed and created by the artist Bottelho.

The Natural Monument of Carenque is a natural monument in Belas, Sintra, Portugal. It contains more than one hundred dinosaur footprints and has one of the longest dinosaur tracks in Europe. The original footprints have been covered with soil after being molded onto latex, so the Monument has no pedagogical or tourist use. The Pego Longo (Carenque) dinosaur footprint deposit was discovered in 1986 by two Geology students from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Carlos Coke and Paulo Branquinho, in a deactivated quarry located southwest of Belas. However, it was named after the neighboring town of Carenque. This monument consists of a set of subcircular and tridactyl footprints containing one of the largest tracks in Europe, with an extension of approximately 140 m (460 ft). It is possible to observe a fossil record with hundreds of dinosaur footprints from the beginning of the Upper Cretaceous on a track over 120 m (390 ft), of 2 herbivorous four-legged dinosaurs and tridactyl ichnites, possibly of bipedal carnivores.In this protected area, there is also the existence of the Necropolis of Carenque, which dates back to the Paleolithic period and the beginning of the Neolithic period.This monument, namely most of the main trail, was in danger of being destroyed by the Lisbon Regional Circular Road (CREL). The solution was to open tunnels so as not to destroy the track.

Massamá e Monte Abraão is a civil parish in the municipality of Sintra, Lisbon District, Portugal. It was formed in 2013 by the merger of the former parishes Massamá and Monte Abraão. The population in 2011 was 48,921, in an area of 3.09 km².

Massamá (Portuguese pronunciation: [mɐsɐˈma]) is a former civil parish in the municipality of Sintra, Lisbon District, Portugal. In 2013, the parish merged into the new parish Massamá e Monte Abraão. The population in 2011 was 28,112, in an area of 2.78 km².It was separated from Queluz parish in 1997. The parish consists of three different zones. The old zone is known as the 2nd phase, a newer zone is known as the 6th phase, while the newest zone, Massamá-Norte (North Massamá, also known as 7th phase) is located outside the parish of Massamá, belonging to Belas parish, though it is usually considered as a zone from Massamá, as it is connected to the rest of Massamá. Belas town is actually several kilometers from Massamá Norte. The name Massamá comes from the Mozarabic term “Mactama” which means “place with good water” or “fountain”. Due to its location between Sintra and Lisbon, this was the place where ancient warriors would take a break to rest and drink water from the local springs.

Queluz-Belas Station (Portuguese: Estação Ferroviária de Queluz-Belas) is a railway station located in the city of Queluz, Portugal. It is served by the Sintra and Azambuja Lines. It is operated by Lisbon CP and managed by Infraestruturas de Portugal.

Queluz (Portuguese pronunciation: [kɛˈluʃ]) is a city within the Sintra Municipality, on the Portuguese Riviera, in the Lisbon metropolitan area of Portugal. It is famed as the home of Queluz National Palace, the 18th century pleasure palace of the Portuguese Royal Family, as well as notable institutions like the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art. Queluz had a population 78,273 inhabitants in 2001.

São João das Lampas e Terrugem is a civil parish in the municipality of Sintra, Lisbon District, Portugal. It was formed in 2013 by the merger of the former parishes São João das Lampas and Terrugem. The population in 2011 was 16,505, in an area of 83.60 km².

Queluz e Belas is a civil parish in the municipality of Sintra, Lisbon District, Portugal. It was formed in 2013 by the merger of the former parishes Queluz and Belas. The population in 2011 was 52,336, in an area of 26.47 km².

The Anta de Agualva, also known as the Anta do Carrascal, is a megalithic dolmen situated in an urban area of Agualva-Cacém in the municipality of Sintra, in the Lisbon District of Portugal. First identified by Carlos Ribeiro in 1875, the dolmen has recently been restored and can be easily visited. The dolmen is believed to have been made up of a polygonal chamber measuring 3.7 × 3.8 meters and formed by seven vertical stones (orthostats), together with an access corridor. Three large blocks have also been identified that may be fragments of the stone that covered the tomb. A few archaeological fragments were found at the site and they are now deposited in Lisbon's Geological Museum but many more were believed to have been taken prior to Ribeiro's excavations. The artifacts collected, as well as more recent radiocarbon dating, suggest that the chamber was used in the late-Neolithic period between the middle and end of the 4th millennium BC. Later, in the second half of the 3rd millennium or in the second millennium, additional funerary deposits may have been made in the access corridor.The Anta de Agualva was first identified in 1875 by military engineer and geologist Carlos Ribeiro who excavated this site as well as several other dolmens in the area to the northeast of Lisbon, such as the Anta da Estria, Anta da Pedra dos Mouros, Anta das Pedras Grandes, and Anta do Monte Abraão. The dolmen was registered as a national monument in 1910. In 1944, Georg and Vera Leisner drew up a new plan of the monument similar to that of Ribeiro but, in their case, assuming the existence of a significant tumulus. Further excavations were carried out in 1958 by Veiga Ferreira.The conservation of the monument has always presented problems related to the lack of clearance of the bush and to urban pressure. In 1994 the Archaeological Museum of São Miguel de Odrinhas carried out a set of actions to safeguard the monument, including clearance of the area. In 2004, a park was inaugurated, denominated "Jardim da Anta" (Garden of the Anta), with the dolmen integrated in the landscaping. In 2017, at the initiative of Sintra City Council, work was carried out on the preservation and restoration of the monument and it was formally opened in April of that year.

The Palace of Queluz (Portuguese: Palácio de Queluz, Portuguese pronunciation: [kɛˈɫuʃ]) is an 18th-century palace located at Queluz, a city of the Sintra Municipality, in the Lisbon District, on the Portuguese Riviera. One of the last great Rococo buildings to be designed in Europe, the palace was conceived as a summer retreat for Dom Pedro of Braganza, later to become husband and then king consort to his own niece, Queen Maria I. It served as a discreet place of incarceration for Queen Maria as her descent into madness continued in the years following Dom Pedro's death in 1786. Following the destruction by fire of the Ajuda Palace in 1794, Queluz Palace became the official residence of the Portuguese prince regent John VI, and his family and remained so until the royal family fled to the Portuguese colony of Brazil in 1807 following the French invasion of Portugal.Work on the palace began in 1747 under Portuguese architect Mateus Vicente de Oliveira. Despite being far smaller, the palace is often referred to as the Portuguese Versailles. From 1826, the palace slowly fell from favour with the Portuguese sovereigns. In 1908, it became the property of the state. Following a serious fire in 1934, which gutted one-third of the interior, the palace was extensively restored, and today is open to the public as a major tourist attraction. One wing of the palace, the Queen Maria I Pavilion, built by Manuel Caetano de Sousa, is currently used as Portugal's official state guest house, allocated to foreign heads of state.