Mértola´s Islamic Festival 2017 - The SOUK

During the length of the Islamic Festival, all of Mértola resounds with a mixture of sounds from the other side of the Mediterranean. In the "souk", the leather goods, the djellabas, the incense, the sandalwood, the mint tea, the spices and the mixture of Arabic and Portuguese voices give a special colour, aroma and melody to the streets covered with cloth; a perfect refuge from the sun. On these days, the encounter of cultures is celebrated through music, in which the voices of Alentejo singing, the strumming of lutes and the drumming of darbukas can be heard