The museum is housed in the old building Municipal Movie Theatre, in the historic center of Almodovar. It opened to the public on September 29, 2007.

The museum’s permanent collection has about 20 pieces, including a permanent estate of 16 stelae discovered in the archaeological heart of Almodovar.

Its most remarkable part is the Estela de São Martinho – “Stele of St. Martin”, found in the archaeological site of São Marcos da Serra, in Silves, about 60 signs, considered one of the most extensive written submissions from tartéssica or Conia.

The Ourique Foundation is traditionally dated 711, the year of entry of Muslims in the Iberian Peninsula. However, several factors point to a rearmost existence.

Several settlements since prehistoric times, locations documented by various archaeological campaigns are known. From the Paleolithic, Chalcolithic, Iron Age and Bronze, the proto-historic presence, Roman, Celtic, Arab, a large number of people crossed these lands.
As for the origin of the place name of Ourique, it may be between Gold (by proximity to gold-bearing holdings) and Orik (the Arabic word for misfortune, following the Moorish defeat in the Battle of Ourique).

It should also Muslims will the building of Ourique Castle, legendary military structure and that still fills memories. This castle will, in all likelihood, alternating several times between the Crescent and the Cross, depending on the sort of weapons. The reconquest of the times would have an essentially defensive watchtower role, with the advance guard the Castro da Cola. One of the most important references to this fortification is made by the Arab chronicler Ahmed Benmohmed Arrazi that in the tenth century, refers to him as one of the strongest of Beja term.

The geographical and strategic importance of Ourique and its territory, or term, is recognized over the centuries, so it has always played in the South most importantly military and commercial paper, while connecting with the valley of the Sado and the Algarve hills.
Thus constituted as one of the central components in the conquest of territory from the Muslims, having witnessed the famous Battle of Ourique.

The Battle of Ourique, Ourique occurred in the fields to July 25, 1139, it was decisive for the independence of Portugal. Led by Afonso Henriques, the Christian troops conquered with great difficulty Muslims led by the governor of Santarém.

According to legend, before the melee Christ have appeared to Afonso Henriques, guaranteeing victory, relying on religious motivations that drove our Prince. Thus, the battle that would follow was, in a way, protected by divine power. The victory across the board against the “five Moorish kings”, allowed then and in the open field of battle, Afonso Henriques was acclaimed by his army as King of Portugal.

At the time of the Christian Reconquest of the Iberian peninsula, the town and its castle were first conquered or by troops under the command of D. Afonso Henriques (1112-1185) or by the group under the command Geraldo Sem-Pavor in raid promoted in 1166 the territory beyond the river Guadiana.

He returned to the Muslim possession when the great offensive Almohad Abu Yusuf Ya’qub al-Mansur to the river Tagus (1191), when Christians remained in power only of Évora, in the Alentejo. Later, the forces of King Sancho II recover these lands, with Serpa won in 1232 and its areas delivered to Ferdinand, brother of the sovereign.

The castle stands in the center of the village, the two hundred and thirty meters above the sea level. At the highest level, by the wall on the north deploys to fortress, of square plan.

About the village has oval plant, reinforced by turrets and square and semicircular plant towers, topped by merlons prismatic. It was originally tore three monumental gates (Moura Gate, northeast, Beja Port, northwest and Seville port south, the latter now defunct) flanked by two beveled round towers, these merlons with pentagonal shot. The west cloth of the walls is topped by an aqueduct based on arcade go round, joining the Counts of Palace Ficalho, on the north side and a giant daughter based on a well, next to the southeast angle, built in the seventeenth century to supply the palace. In period opened the Door of Corredoura and the New Port.

The wall of the fortress is reinforced by the Keep, of square plan, adjoining south cloth, left to bottom; by a semicircular plant cubelo the same side and a rectangular plan tower in the southeast corner, next to which is still visible part of the Barbican involved. There is installed the Archaeological Museum of Serpa, exposing the evidence recovered in County region, the Paleolithic, Neolithic, of the Metal Age and Roman times.

In the square border to the Church of Santa Maria (old Muslim Mosque) stands the so-called Clock Tower, of square plan, where stands the bell, with tapered shot of pinnacles surrounded by merlons bevelled. Trace the fence of the village, was transformed into watch in 1440, becoming the third watch tower oldest in the country.

The park includes the municipalities of Mértola and Serpa, located district of Beja, covering the waterfront of the Guadiana River and the Mértola village, town of great historical interest.

The Guadiana Valley Natural Park was created to protect part of the Guadiana river section and the surrounding plain, is one of the driest areas of the country, with an average annual rainfall of 600 mm. The south, between Castro Marim and Vila Real de Santo António, lies one marsh area, which acts as a “nursery” for juvenile fish and an important refuge for many species of birds.

Mértola is a tipical Portuguese village raiana the district of Beja, Alentejo region and sub-region of Alentejo, with more than 2000 inhabitants.

The village is situated on a hill on the right bank of the Guadiana River, just upstream of the confluence the Oeiras river.

It is home to one of the largest municipality of Portugal, with 1 292.87 km² of area.

The municipality is bordered to the north by the municipalities of Beja and Serpa, the east Spain, south and west by Alcoutim by Almodovar and Castro Verde.

The Mértola village is known by the São Domingos mine.