Islamic Heritage Interpretation Centre

In what was once considered the most important city of the Gharb Al-Andalus, there are countless testimonies of that era of splendour. In Silves the Islamic legacy is present not only in the architectural remains that can be seen all over the city, but also in its intangible heritage. 

To better understand the cultural impact of the Islamic past in the region, the Islamic Culture Interpretation Centre was created, organised around three major landmarks of Islamic culture: Earth, as a constructive material, Water, essential to life, and Poetry, essential nourishment for the spirit.

The first area refers to the Architectural Heritage, with the valorisation of the land through the inclusion of adobe structures and images of the raw earth construction activity.

Next is the element of water, of great importance to the Muslim world, exploring its usefulness in various ways such as irrigation of orchards and vegetable gardens, evident all over the county with norias, water mills and cisterns built by ingenious systems of capture and supply of water.

The last area is dedicated to Poetry, where we can appreciate some of the poems written by great figures of Arab literature, such as an excerpt from the famous poem "Evocation to Silves", written by the poet king who was born in Beja and became king of the Taifa of Seville, Al-Mutamid.

The Islamic Heritage Interpretation Centre currently functions as a municipal tourist office and is an excellent place to start your tour of the city’s historic centre.