Palace of Queluz

The Pousada of D. Maria is part of the Pousadas de Portugal network of lodgings, housed in the historical servants quarters/annex of the Queluz National Palace, located in the civil parish of Queluz in the municipality of Sintra in the Portuguese sub-region of Greater Lisbon. Built in the Baroque-style, its five-stage bell tower provides an ecclesiastical appearance to the structure, due to surmounted floral finials. In age, it is contemporary with the main palace, dating from the mid-18th century. The tower is visible from many parts of the palace and from certain vantage points appears to be part of the palace itself.

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.

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.

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 former civil parish in the municipality of Sintra, Lisbon District, Portugal. In 2013, the parish merged into the new parish Queluz e Belas. The population in 2011 was 26,248, in an area of 3.63 km2. The parish covered part of the city of Queluz.

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.

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 Estria is a megalithic dolmen situated between Belas and Queluz in the Lisbon District of Portugal. Based on datings of human remains, it is believed to date back to the late-Neolithic and early-Chalcolithic eras (4000-2500 BC). The Anta da Estria, the Anta do Monte Abraão and the Anta da Pedra dos Mouros (also known as the Anta do Senhor da Serra) are collectively known as the Antas de Belas, and were first identified in the 1870s by Carlos Ribeiro (1813-1882), who is regarded as the "father" of Portuguese prehistoric archaeology.The dolmen is presently in a much-degraded condition and difficult to access. It was almost destroyed by construction in the 1990s of Portugal’s A9 motorway but was eventually incorporated into the landscaped area of a service station for that highway, facilitating easy access. However, the service area has since been closed and access by cars has been blocked. Pedestrian access remains possible, using a footbridge over a motorway slip road. Carlos Ribeiro, who carried out research in early 1875 and published his results in 1880, described the tomb as having a polygonal chamber, 2-5 metres wide and 2.75 metres high, approached by a corridor bordered by small slabs of limestone. Later excavations carried out by what is now the Portuguese Institute of Architectural and Archaeological Heritage (IPPAR), of the Direção-Geral do Património Cultural (Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage), under the direction of Ana Carvalho Dias have shown the corridor to make use of a pre-existing inclined depression in the rock. This dictated the orientation of the tomb, which points to 212-13 degrees west. Ribeiro identified nine raised slabs but did not identify any stones that could have formed a roof. He considered all of the slabs to have been locally sourced, and this has been confirmed by subsequent research. The hard limestone is similar to that used for the other Antas de Belas. Limited artifacts have been discovered at the site but many are thought to have been removed prior to the discovery by Ribeiro. Twelve arrowheads were identified, together with two bone artifacts and three small, almost-complete pots. While human remains were found, Ribeiro did not feel confident to identify the number of burials that had taken place at the tomb, which he had done for the Anta do Monte Abraão.

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.

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.