Bardo Museum

The Bardo museum is a fantastic museum located in one of Tunisia’s finest palaces. The building is originally from 13th-century during Husseini beys power. It was enlarged in the 17th century, and became a museum in 1888. The museum is dominated by the splendid mosaics that were found in the Roman villas. So a visit to this museum is advised before you go to the ancient roman sites to complete the tour. The museum is divided into departments, rooms and galleries, which in chronological order are prehistory , and illustrating the various stages of Tunisia’s history. These periods go from prehistory to the middle of the last century, the Punic-Libyic period, the Roman and early Christian periods, with the Vandal and Byzantine eras, and finally, the Islamic period running to contemporary times. The building itself, and the interior are already architectural highlights, but you will explore many more such as; the 40.000 year old Her Main El Guetter, the world oldest spiritual monument, and the infamous 3rd century BC stela from Carthage, showing a priest holding a child. A grand colonnaded reception room with an icing sugar ceiling and triumphant statuary from Roman Carthage arranged around mosaics from Oudhna. Treasures from e recovered 1st century BC mahdia shipwreck. Greek antique columns that where lost while being shipped to Italy for wealthy Romans. Some of Arica’s oldest stunning mosaics coming from 2nd century AD Trajan baths of Acholla.