Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Mértola follows the usual pattern of settlement in this area: Phoenician traders, who sailed
up the Guadiana, then Carthaginians, then Romans. Its strategic position, as the northern-
most port on the Guadiana, and the final destination for many Mediterranean routes, led
the Romans to develop Mértola (naming it Myrtilis) as a major agricultural and mineral-
exporting centre. Cereals and olive oil arrived from Beja and copper and other metals
from Aljustrel and São Domingos. It was a rich merchant town.
Later the Moors, who called it Martulah and made it a regional capital, further fortified
Mértola and built a mosque. Dom Sancho II and the Knights of the Order of Santiago cap-
tured the site in 1238. But then, as commercial routes shifted to the Tejo, Mértola de-
clined. When the last steamboat service to Vila Real de Santo António ended and the cop-
per mines of São Domingos (the area's main employer) closed in 1965, its port days were
over.
Sights
Stepping through the thick outer walls into the old town makes you feel as if you have
stepped back in time. It's enchanting just to wander around the snoozy, sun-baked streets
(but take plenty of water).
Castelo & Torre de Menagem
(Nucleo do Castelo)
( 9am-12.30pm & 2-5.30pm Tue-Sun)
Above the parish church looms Mértola's fortified castle,
most of which dates from the 13th century. It was built upon Moorish foundations next to
an Islamic residence, the
alcáçova
(citadel), which itself overlaid the Roman forum. For
centuries the castle was considered western Iberia's most impregnable fortress.
From its prominent tower, the Torre de Menagem, and the walls, there are ultra-fab-
ulous views - the
alcáçova
is on one side, and the old town and the river on the other.
CASTLE
Largo Luís de Camões
This is the administrative heart of the old town, a picturesque square lined with orange
trees, with the
câmara municipal
at its western end. To reach the
largo
(small square),
enter the old town and keep to the left at the fork in the road.
PLAZA
Torre do Relógio
TOWER
