MIDDLE EAST EYE (23/5/2018)
An imposing building with cylindrical towers stands out on the steep hill of Mertola, a southern Portuguese town on the banks of the Guadiana river, not far from the Spanish border.
Is it a church with a mihrab? Or a mosque with a cross?
The whitewashed building with horseshoe arches is known as the church of Nossa Senhora da Anunciacao. Those who come to visit its vaulted interior are told it’s the best preserved medieval mosque in Portugal.
“It’s a mixture of many things,” says Germano Vaz, who is from Mertola and lives nearby. “It was built on top of a Roman temple. It was a mosque and now it’s a church. We are very proud of this assemblage of religions and cultures.”
Inside the church that used to be a mosque, Christians still pray facing Mecca. The mihrab, a semi-circular niche in the wall, is directly behind the main altar.
A bell tower stands where, less than a thousand years ago, a minaret would call Muslims to prayer.
From the 8th to the 13th century, much of what is now Portugal and Spain was under Muslim control. Known as al-Andalus, the region became a hub for cultural exchange, where science, architecture and art thrived.
As long as they acknowledged Muslim rule, Christians and Jews were, for the most part, protected and tolerated. The three religious groups coexisted relatively peacefully in southern Portugal, known as Gharb al-Andalus.
Portugal is still replete with traces of its Islamic past, from architecture to the influences of Arabic in the Portuguese language and music.
Read more: https://www.middleeasteye.net/discover/portugal-celebrates-islamic-heritage-al-andalus