Mértola

The Islamic town of the Guadiana, a museum village of white houses and river views.

Mértola, 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 — a former mosque turned into a church, a castle over the water and one of the most interesting museum networks of the country.

The town

An important river port since Roman times, Mértola 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 Anunciação — installed in the ancient mosque, of which it still shows the mihrab — one of the few former mosques preserved in Portugal. The castle and the riverside complete the picture of a museum town by the Guadiana.

What to see

The church of Nossa Senhora da Anunciação and its Islamic heritage.
The castle and walls, with the great view over the Guadiana.
The núcleos of the Museu de Mértola, from Islamic art to the river port.
The streets and squares of the white town, above the water.

Visiting

Mértola lies in the lower Alentejo, within reach of Beja and the border towns of the Guadiana. The town is explored on foot, climbing between the river and the castle hill; the museum núcleos have their own opening times, published with the official information of the municipality.