House of Islamic and Mediterranean Culture

In the old Silves Slaughterhouse, an excellent example of the region's neo-Arab architecture, built in 1914, we find the House of Islamic and Mediterranean Culture, which seeks to convey the splendour of Muslim Silves. 

The restoration of the building, which was in ruins, respected the ancestral techniques of earth construction, with adobes, and introduced architectural elements that show the Islamic influence and traditional Mediterranean architecture. 

Currently the House of Islamic and Mediterranean Culture promotes cultural initiatives aimed at the cultural enrichment of local communities and visitors, such as conferences, exhibitions, debates, readings, mostly on Islamic themes. 

In this multidisciplinary space Arabic language courses are also taught by the Centre for Luso-Arab Studies, based here, with the aim of promoting research into the numerous documents in Arabic that live in national archives and libraries, and thus discover the importance of the Islamic legacy in the History of Portugal.