{"id":58982,"date":"2026-10-13T18:02:20","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T18:02:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/realdreams.pt\/?post_type=to-visit&p=58982"},"modified":"2026-10-13T18:02:20","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T18:02:20","slug":"mertola","status":"publish","type":"to-visit","link":"https:\/\/realdreams.pt\/de\/attractions-to-visit\/regions-of-portugal\/alentejo-region\/mertola\/","title":{"rendered":"M\u00e9rtola"},"content":{"rendered":"

M\u00e9rtola, on the banks of the Guadiana, is the town that best keeps the memory of Islamic Portugal. A white town of steep streets above the river, it preserves a rare heritage from the centuries of Al-Andalus \u2014 a former mosque turned into a church, a castle over the water and one of the most interesting museum networks of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The town<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

An important river port since Roman times, M\u00e9rtola flourished under Islamic rule, when it was one of the main towns of the western Al-Andalus. From that period the town keeps its urban shape, its walls and, above all, the church of Nossa Senhora da Anuncia\u00e7\u00e3o \u2014 installed in the ancient mosque, of which it still shows the mihrab \u2014 one of the few former mosques preserved in Portugal. The castle and the riverside complete the picture of a museum town by the Guadiana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What to see<\/h2>\n\n\n\n