The image of a white locality aimed at the Guadiana keeps the memory of various civilizations. From the top of his walls, the Alentejo plain is seen and, in the background, the river that is born in Spain and follows its route to the Algarve, ending in the Atlantic. More than a geographical point, this is a place that preserves the medieval layout, breathes Islamic inheritances and invites you to discover a rare heritage.
According to the Spanish magazine Hola!, The village in question is Mértola, which is located in Baixo Alentejo, by the Spanish border. Raised on layers of history, it retains narrow stone paved streets, white -spotted houses with blue and ocher notes, as well as shaded nooks that reveal the Arab legacy. The grip core, known as Vila Velha, is a “true maze” that invites to be traveled on foot.
Traces of various civilizations
The current layout owes a lot to the ancient Islamic Mārtulah, which gave economic prosperity to the region and turned it into an important river port. According to the same source, Arab influence remains visible in the arches, inner courtyards and perspectives that arise around every corner. It is also in this spirit that, every two years, in May, the Islamic Festival takes place, recreating a space with handicrafts, music, dance and gastronomy.
Among the most striking points is the Mother Church. At first glance it seems to be a sixteenth-century Manueline temple, but inside the origins are hidden: the former twelfth-century mosque, with the quadrangular plant and the mihrab still visible behind the altar. According to, under this building there were also Roman structures and a Paleochristian complex, revealing the overlap of times.
Castle and open -air museums
Going up to the highest point of the village is the castle. After the reconquest by D. Sancho II, the Islamic fortress was adapted by the Order of Santiago, which fixed its headquarters there. It writes the Spanish magazine that the almost 30 meter high smoking tower offers a 360 degree view of the Guadiana and the Alentejo landscapes. Inside, a museum works that helps interpret the centuries of occupation.
The village itself is described as a living museum. The work began by archaeologist Claudio Torres, in 1978, revealed historical layers preserved by the isolation of the region. Adds the publication that at various points it is possible to visit some ‘findings’, such as the ruins of an Islamic neighborhood, a paleocristan basilica with baptistery and necropolis, or Roman mosaics under the building of the City Council.
Guadiana and the Alentejo table
Mértola’s identity is also linked to the river that bathes it. Guadiana integrates a natural park with almost 70,000 hectares, covering the section between the Spanish border and the jump of the wolf, a cascade about 20 meters high. Refers to the same source as José Saramago, in the work Travel to Portugalevoked the grandeur of this place, where the water fits a rocky throat.
It should be noted that, by navigating the Guadiana from Mértola and south, you will find the village of Alcoutim, already in the Algarve. Below you will find the famous city of Vila Real de Santo António.
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