The new image of the Islamic Festival of Mértola is inspired by a ceramic bowl from the second half of the 12th century, on display at the Islamic Art Centre of the Cláudio Torres Museum in Mértola. The piece is decorated using the cuerda seca technique and features vegetal motifs: a tree of life formed by three lotus flowers joined by a stem and surrounded by a frieze of small rosettes printed under a green glaze. Once again, the heritage of the past inspires the contemporary creation of the Festival’s image.
Throughout the 4 days of the Islamic Festival, the programme includes a very diverse set of workshops promoted by various organisations and invited specialists.
Emphasis on craft workshops, which give participants the experience of making work in palm, atabua, ceramics, tile or cane. The gastronomy workshops include the experience of Moroccan cuisine, the tea ritual, cheese making and cooking, and to finish on Sunday, a workshop on traditional Alentejo bread soup. In the Pátio dos Sons there will be music workshops with singing by Pedro Mestre and the group ‘Os Alentejano’, the viola of Tó Zé Bexiga and the percussion instruments of the Dar Ziryab Cultural Centre. Also in the Pátio Riad there are demonstrative workshops on distillation and essential oils with local producers.
As you can see, this is a ‘world’ of experiences and learning that you cannot miss.