Located in the southeast area of Baixo Alentejo in southern Portugal, it features the Guadiana River, which has a variable flow of water. This river is undoubtedly the main element of this region as it shapes the landscape and the territory. North of Mértola, the river meanders between rocky cliffs.

Around the river stretches an undulating plain only interrupted by the low elevations of the Serra de Alcaria, roosts of Griffon Vultures and Black Vultures, and the Serra de São Barão. This territory is covered by the Special Protected Area (SPA) – Vale do Guadiana of the Natura 2000 Network and classified as a Natural Park of the Vale do Guadiana since 1995.

In the wide plains of so-called steppic land, where grazing activities and cereal production helped to shape a treeless landscape, Little Bustard, Great Bustard and Crane found a safe habitat. Because a vast area of these steppes is covered by the SPA- Castro Verde of the Natura 2000 Network.

The climate in this region is characterized by hot, dry summers and cold winters with little rainfall. Especially in the summer, the aridity of this place is very evident, and the local fauna and flora show a surprising capacity for adaptation.

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In addition to being a region of excellence for birdwatching, this is also a region of great historical richness, which ends up enhancing the visit to this territory.

In this region there was a strong human presence since Neolithic times, the city of Mértola, was a very important commercial hub frequented by Phoenicians and Carthaginians due to its strategic location next to the navigable Guadiana River that functioned as an artery and gateway to the territory for the peoples from the Mediterranean and the Maghreb coast.

This region was an important metal production area of the Roman Empire and the Ancient World. Gold and copper from the mines of Aljustrel were exported through the river port of Mértola, as well as silver and copper from the mountains of the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. During the 3rd and 4th centuries, the powerful Roman political-military machine gave an increased dynamic to this territory, which meant that the city of Myrtillis, present-day Mértola, has known days of glory in the imperial period.

The collapse of the Roman Empire seems not to have affected the commercial activity of the city, as it continued between the 5th and 8th centuries, during the Visigoth’s reign, demonstrating an intense port activity.

Then, with the arrival of the Arabs in the 8th century, a new period of progress and development began, where Martulhan was the epicentre of the region. There are still numerous testimonies of those times, the evidence of that prosperity can be found in the Museum of Islamic Art in Mértola.

The Igreja Matriz (main church), formerly a mosque, displays unusual architecture, the walls of the Muslim Castle of Mértola and the traditional Arab houses with central patios are a historical and cultural heritage of the Arab period. Mértola was conquered by the Portuguese crown in 1238 during the reign of D. Sancho II.

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