Museu Municipal de Arqueologia de Silves

In the historic centre of Silves, the Municipal Archaeology Museum organises the city’s memory around an exceptional feature: the Arab Well-Cistern, classified as a National Monument. Identified in late 1979, this Almohad well-cistern, built between the end of the 12th century and the beginning of the 13th, was integrated into the museum route, inaugurated in 1990. Its circular structure descends more than eighteen metres and is accompanied by a spiral staircase, with windows opened at different heights to provide access to the water. The building also incorporates, on its southern elevation, a section of the Almedina wall, from the 12th century. The exhibition traces the history of the Silves territory from prehistory to the 18th century, with particular emphasis on Islamic materials collected during decades of excavations in the city. Here, archaeology and architecture make Silves’ long continuity visible.