The word "Azulejos" in Portugal comes from Arabic and means "polished stone". Traditional Portuguese tile-Azulejos is painted terracotta, burnt, and most often square in shape. Tile used for walls, on hot days she kept cool, and in winter in the house was not wet.

In Lisbon, in its Eastern part, there is the national tile Museum-Azulejos, which presents the history and development of this unique art in Portugal for five centuries. The Museum's collection – the only one in the world. The Museum is located on the territory of the convent of Madre de Deus, built by Queen Leonor, widow of king Juan II. An earthquake in 1755 destroyed the monastery, and later was reconstructed buildings. The building was originally built in manualism style (the portal of the Church), and were later added elements of Renaissance and Baroque, which made this building one of the most magnificent buildings in the city. In the monastery there is a beautiful chapel, the ceiling of which is decorated in the Mudejar style. In the design of the monastery there are tile Azulejos, and gilded carvings. Tiles Azulejos lined corridors, courtyards, chapels and stairs.

The Museum collection contains rare specimens of Spanish and Dutch tiles, as well as works by such famous artists as Julio, Barradas, Maria Keil, júlio Pomar, Manuel Carralero, Cherub paw. The most striking exhibit of the Museum - white-blue composition of 1300 tiles Azulejos, length 23 meters, displaying the panorama of Lisbon in 1738 before the Great earthquake. In addition, visitors can see the tiles of the FIFTEENTH century, which, for example, were lined the walls of the Royal Palace in Sintra.