Between May 22 and 25, Mértola will once again become the capital of Islamic culture in the Iberian Peninsula. The Portuguese City Council has prepared for the thirteenth edition an extensive program of exhibitions, workshops, lectures and performances of various kinds to recall its fertile Andalusian past. Although of Phoenician origin, the beautiful city bathed by the Guadiana experienced a significant economic and social boost after the Islamic conquest in the 8th century.

Over the course of four days, the city will be transformed to recreate the color and appearance of an Islamic medina. Dozens of workshops will recover techniques of Andalusian gastronomy, construction of lutes, Islamic geometry, Arabic percussion, oriental dance, poetry, calligraphy and other handicraft disciplines of Muslim influence.

The official inauguration will take place on Thursday, May 22 at 7:00 p.m. at Plaza Vasco de Gama. The opening concert, on the same day at 10.30 p.m., will be given by Celina da Piedade and Rodrigo Leao. The Festival will also feature a popular souk and tourist routes, in a city that still preserves the remains of the old Andalusian mosque, on top of which a church was built in Christian times.