This museum space was built around an admirable 12th-13th century Almohad Well-Cistern - which became the centrepiece of the collection and expository discourse - discovered after archaeological excavations in the 1980s and today classified as a National Monument.

Scenographically the museum also integrates the city wall of the same period, thus functioning not only as a museum where the exhibited collections are very significant, but also as a jewel of the Islamic heritage in Portugal.

The Museum's collection, mostly from excavations in the city and county, brings together a collection of Palaeolithic objects, the oldest, including the Neolithic, the Chalcolithic, the Bronze Age, Iron Age and the Roman Period and stand out not only for their quantity, but also for their quality and exception, the pieces of the Medieval Period, with emphasis on the Muslim Period - Umayyad, Caliph, Taifa, Almoravid and Almohad from the eighth to the thirteenth century. , mostly from the 12th-13th century Almohad period - which are proof of the city's wealth and importance in that historical period.

The collection also brings together an important set of objects from the modern period – 15th, 16th and 17th century -, which demonstrates the influence of trade routes and the importance of the city's exchanges and contacts with other regions of the globe.

Divided into eight thematic sections, the collection can be visited chronologically from the Palaeolithic to the 17th century.

It should be noted that in addition to the permanent exhibition of this space, it will host until February 2020 the exhibition “Silves in time and into the sea” which aims to make Silves's close relations with the sea known, both from the perspective of the exploration of its resources, such as the point of access across the Arade River to other places, with which it had business relations. Based on this constant relationship and proximity to the sea this show intends to go through the most important points of Silves History.