It was bold seafarers like Bartolomeu Diaz and Vasco da Gama who brought fame and fortune to Portugal. Its newly acquired territories in Africa, Asia and the new world made Portugal into a powerful colonial empire and Lisbon became spectacularly prosperous. In order to protect the entrance to the harbour, King Emanuel I had a tower built in Belém, a suburb of Lisbon, in 1500. The ornamental decoration in Moorish style was inspired by the architect Francisco de Arruda’s long stays in Morocco. The tower, which is often compared to a figurehead, is a masterpiece in elegance and power and an excellent example of the intermingling of Moorish art with the transition in style from Late Gothic to Renaissance.
