The 11th edition of the Islamic Festival will take place in May 2021 and will be yet another moment of exaltation of the Islamic roots and influences of Mértola. The philosophy behind this Festival is based on historical-archaeological research and the graphic image of each edition is inspired by the collections of the Mértola Museum.
The 2021 edition is marked by a plant motif on a ceramic bowl decorated with the ‘corda seca’ technique, dating from the 12th century, which is part of the collection on display at the Islamic Art museum unit. The interior decoration of the bowl is fully ‘corda seca’ in white, green and honey; manganese outlines a central motif with four intertwining stems intersecting with four stylised lotus flowers. The secondary decoration consists of plant motifs spaced along the wall of the bowl wall and a triangular lattice on the rim. Quadripartite compositions, even those that intersect with a second composition as is the case in this item, are interpreted as representations of Paradise (the central point which, in this case, is a circle), from which the four rivers depart.