Belém Tower, Portugal

Portugal-26, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Belém Tower a fortified tower located in the Belém district of Lisbon, Portugal.

The Belém Tower was built in the early sixteenth century in the Portuguese late-Gothic style, the Manueline, to commemorate Vasco da Gama's expedition. This defensive, yet elegant construction has become one of the symbols of the city, a memorial to Portuguese power as it was during the Age of Discovery. In 1983, it was classified, together with the nearby Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (Jerónimos Monastery), as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.