This Saturday marks the third of four days of the 12th edition of the Islamic Festival, an event organized by the Municipality of Mértola and held every two, which in an exceptional way to “break the pandemic” was also carried out last year.
The Islamic Festival of Mértola started on Thursday and continues until tomorrow, invades the narrow streets of the so-called “Vila Velha”, where the traditional “souk”, an open-air Arab market fills the historic center with the smells and flavors of the Maghreb.
The event has free admission and aims to “disseminate the history and heritage of Mértola in particular from the Islamic era, when she was known as Martulah”, revealed the president of the so-called “Museum Village”.
“It is an event that has already surpassed a municipality, a region and a country, based on tremendous diversity. Quantifying the number of visitors is always difficult, but we will surely get to 60 thousand, which is very significant for the economic impact it has on the entire Municipality”, justified Mário Tomé.
One of the novelties of this edition of the Islamic Festival is the appearance of the Hammam & Mértola Tea House, which has as attraction the Mozambican Sahima Hajat, the winner of MasterChef Portugal 2023, a program broadcast by RTP1.
Music is also one of the great attractions of the festival., bringing together sounds from around the world on the stage at the Cais do Rio Guadiana, including the Alentejo choral groups, with the program including chordophone building workshops, of dance, Arabic language and script, basketry, from cante alentejano, of “halal” gastronomy and Moroccan cuisine and other.
craft exhibitions, of paint and chordophones, a “Children's Space”, a tourist train, storytelling sessions and conferences, mark the four days of the festival.
The closing show of the 12th Islamic Festival is scheduled for tomorrow at 19,00 hours, together on the Guadiana River pier, the Gnawa Trans groups, Guadiana corals from Mértola, from Mina de São Domingos and Cantadores from Vila Nova de São Bento, the Tocá Rufar Orchestra and the musician Tozé Bexiga.
Teixeira Correia
(journalist)
