The Bardo museum, an infinite variety of mosaics

About 6 kilometers away from the medina of Tunis, the Bardo museum occupies the building of an old beylical palace. Hundreds of Roman mosaics are kept in the biggest and most famous museum of North Africa. The Bardo museum opened in 1882 and is divided into several departments, such as the department of the Punic civilization or that of Muslim art. In the rooms of the Bardo, the rich history of the country fills the air. The growth and fall of civilizations becomes obvious: from Carthage to Rome, from Christian Africa to Muslim North Africa.

In addition to the mosaics, Roman statues, funeral steles and Punic jewells are gathered in rooms adorned with chandeliers made out of Murano glass. Most ceilings are decorated with superb arabesques.

If you are interested in Muslim art, the rooms of the Islamic Art collections house precious potteries, illuminated pages from the sacred texts and traditional clothes from all over the country. These items are arranged around a beautiful inner courtyard.