Bardo National Museum (Tunis) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Bardo National Museum

Arabic: المتحف الوطني بباردو French: Musée national du Bardo
Museum Bardo, in Tunis, in Tunisia
Established	May 7, 1888 (1888-05-07)
Location	Le Bardo, Tunis, Tunisia
Type	National museum
Collection size	Prehistory and Protohistory Libyco-Punic Islamic Hellenistic Roman
Visitors	664,891 (2005)

The Bardo National Museum is a famous museum in Tunis, Tunisia. It is located in the area called Le Bardo.

This museum is one of the most important in the Mediterranean Basin. It is also the second largest museum in Africa, after the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. It shows the long history of Tunisia over thousands of years. You can see many different archaeological pieces from various civilizations.

The museum is inside an old palace that belonged to the bey (a ruler). It opened in 1888. Many important items found during archaeological digs in Tunisia are shown here. It was first called the Alaoui Museum, named after the bey who was ruling then. Later, after Tunisia became independent, it was renamed the Bardo Museum.

The Bardo Museum has one of the world's biggest collections of Roman mosaics. These mosaics were found in the early 1900s at different ancient sites in Tunisia. Some of these sites include Carthage, Hadrumetum, Dougga, and Utica. The mosaics, like the famous Virgil Mosaic, help us understand daily life in Roman Africa. The museum also has many marble statues from the Roman era. These statues show gods and Roman emperors. They were found at sites like Carthage and Thuburbo Majus.

You can also see items found from Libyco-Punic sites, especially Carthage. Even though the Carthage National Museum is the main museum for Carthage, the Bardo has important pieces. These include interesting masks, clay statues, and stelae (carved stone slabs). One famous stele shows a priest and a child. The museum also displays Greek items. Many of these were found from the Mahdia shipwreck, a sunken ship. A special piece from this collection is a marble bust of Aphrodite, which was damaged by the sea.

The Islamic section of the museum has famous works like the Blue Qur'an of Kairouan. It also has a collection of beautiful ceramics from Maghreb (North Africa) and Anatolia (modern Turkey).

The museum was made bigger and better to show its collections more clearly. This big project was finished in 2012. It added new buildings and rearranged the exhibits. The goal was to make the museum a top place for cultural learning. This way, visitors can truly enjoy the amazing art and history.

Exploring the Bardo Museum

Bardo museum plan.

Carthage Room.

Sousse Room.

Virgile Room.

d’Althiburos Room.

The Bardo National Museum building was once a grand palace from the 1400s. It was built by the Hafsid rulers. This palace is located in the suburbs of Tunis.

The Bardo is one of the most important museums in the Mediterranean basin. It is also the second largest on the African continent. It tells the story of Tunisia over many thousands of years. You can see pieces from many different civilizations. Because it is in an old palace, it shows many major works. These items were found since people started looking for ancient treasures in Tunisia. It was first called the Museum Alaoui. This was the name of the ruler at that time. It has been called the Museum of Bardo since Tunisia became independent.

The Islamic Department has famous works like the Blue Koran from Kairouan. It also has a collection of ceramics from North Africa and Asia Minor.

The Bardo has one of the best and largest collections of Roman mosaics in the world. These were found during digs that started in the early 1900s. The sites include Carthage, Hadrumetum, Dougga, and Utica. The mosaics are a special way to learn about daily life in Roman Africa. The museum also has many marble statues. These show Roman gods and Roman emperors. They were found at places like Carthage and Thuburbo Majus.

The Bardo also has important items from Libyco-Punic sites, especially Carthage. The Carthage National Museum also has a big collection. The main items in this section are masks with funny faces. There are also clay statues and stelae. The stele of the priest and the child is very famous. The museum also has Greek works. These were found from the Mahdia shipwreck. A well-known piece is a marble bust of Aphrodite.

The museum had a big renovation that finished in 2012. This work was stopped for a while because of the Tunisian revolution. The expansion added 9,000 square meters to the museum. Money for this project came from the World Bank.

What You Can See: Collections

Small Patio of the Palace.

The museum has a huge collection of Roman mosaics. It also has other old items from Ancient Greece, Carthage, Tunisia, and the Islamic period.

You can see objects from very old times, like pre-historical tools. There are also more modern items, such as beautiful jewelry.

A Difficult Time in 2015

In 2015, the museum experienced a very sad event. Despite this, it has remained a strong symbol of Tunisia's history and culture, continuing to welcome visitors from all over the world.

Images for kids

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  Anthropomorphic amphora

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  Carthaginian baby bottle. Painted decoration: eyes; palmettes; Tanit....... 3rd century BCE

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  Statue of Baal Hammon sitting on a throne

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  Statue of Tanit leontocephalus

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  Punic jewelry

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  Carthaginian armor from Ksour es-Saf

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  Bottle idol on a stele

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  Stele of Tanit (Carthaginian goddess of fertility)

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  Punic statue

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  Carthaginian granite pebble with figure of deity. 5th century BCE

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  Miniature Punic chapel (naïskos)

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  Priest's stele, discovered in Carthage in 1921. (3rd century BCE. J.-C.).

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  Punic jewellery

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  Statue of Demeter

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  Coroplath statuette holding a tambourine

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  Punic figure of the goddess Tanit with a lion’s head. CE 1st century

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  Punic stelae

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  Stele of the tophet of Salammbô

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  urn to the Bard, "naïskos"

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  Egyptian style Female mask found in a tomb, known as Protomé Necropolis of Carthage, late 6th - 5th century BCE.

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  Mosaic of a bottle of wine (2. Jhdt.n.Chr., El Jem-Thysdrus)

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  Zodiac mosaic

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  Seignor Julius mosaic, CE 5th century, Carthage

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  Matron at her toilet, CE 4th century, Carthage

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  Mosaic of a Wild boar and dog. CE 3rd century

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  Mosaic of Virgil seated between Clio and Melpomene (from Hadrumetum Sousse). CE 3rd century.

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  Mosaic of a hunting scene. CE 2nd century

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  Roman Christian mosaic of bricklayers at work. CE 4th century

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  Roman mosaic of "Crescentinus diaconus", dating from the CE 4th century. The inscription translates: "The host of the angels, the count of the martyrs, and breathing a peaceful life, may he go to you in a holy manner. Our memory, with the gracious piety with which the deacon Crescentinus is accustomed, returned in peace the 3rd Augustus Kalends."

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  A Roman Christian mosaic called "Daniel among the Lions". CE 4th century

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  Roman commemorative sculpture, in which the deceased is dressed as Hercules. CE 3rd century

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  Minia Procula, Roman sculpture. CE 2nd century.

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  Roman sculpture of Minerva. CE 2nd century

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  Roman sculpture of Suturn. CE 2nd century

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  Roman sculpture of Ceres Diademea, CE 2nd century

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  Colossal head, Sculpture of Jupiter, CE 3rd century

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  Jupiter Serapio, CE 2nd century

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  Sculpture of Jupiter, CE 2nd century

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  Sculpture of Empress Faustina II statue, CE 2nd century

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  Sculpture of Abundance, CE 3rd century

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  Sculpture of Concordia Pantea, CE 2nd century

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  The early Christian room with baptistery in the centre

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  Museum entrance

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  Hallway of sarcophagi full with visitors.

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  Access door on the first floor

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  Fresco on interior balcony

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  Roof of the Bey Palace

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  Painted ceiling of the Oudna Room.

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  Painted wooden ceiling.

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  Painted and gilded ceiling of the Room Althiburos.

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  The domed ceiling of the mosaic hall

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  Parts of the Bardo Palace before CE 1870, Le Bardo

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  Roofs decorated with stucco

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  Ceiling of the Virgil room

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  Apartments of the Bey, room called Virgil, after the name of the mosaic of Sousse that was exposed until the extension of the years CE 2010

Using Technology at the Museum

Since June 17, 2014, the museum has offered visitors a digital guide. You can get it in English, French, and Arabic. This guide was created by Orange Tunisia. It uses Near-field communication (NFC) technology.

You can download a free app for your smartphone. Or, you can borrow a free smartphone at the museum entrance. The app gives you audio comments about the exhibits. It also shows photo slideshows. Plus, it shares historical and geographical facts about the items on display.

See also

In Spanish: Museo Nacional del Bardo para niños

• Culture of Tunisia
• List of museums in Tunisia
• List of largest art museums
• History of Tunisia
• History of Carthage
• Ancient Carthage
• Mosaic of Dominus Julius, Carthage
• North Africa during Antiquity
• Carthage National Museum
• Carthage Paleo-Christian Museum
• El Djem Archaeological Museum
• Nabeul Museum
• Mosaic of Dominus Julius, Carthage