Closed :Mondays
Hours :04/01-09/15 :9:00-17:00
Normal Hours :9:30-16:30
Notes :Museum shop & Refreshment stand
The Bardo, located in the suburbs of Tunis, is in itself, an
architectural landmark. Originally a 13th century Hafside
palace, it has been restored and expanded throughout the
centuries to become this superb example of Arab-Moslem
17th and 18th century architecture and decoration with its vaulted ceilings, galleries and cupolas. How fitting also that the finest collection of Roman mosaics in the world should be housed in this delightful setting !.
Priceless acquisitions from all parts of the Tunisian territory
have been collected and arranged by date and place of origin
into departments corresponding to the main stages in Tunisia's history:
Prehistoric era
Carthaginian era
Roman era
Christian era
Islamic era.
The Prehistoric Era
Let us begin from the beginning, with the exposition of the
Hermaion of El Guettar, a cairn of stone and silex estimated at over 40 000 years, and perhaps one of mankind's first spiritual and cultural expressions. Found in the area of Gafsa, northwestern Tunisia, it is one of a myriad of artifacts and vestiges, some strangely carved and faceted, testifying to man's early presence in Tunisia that are exposed in the Bardo's fine Prehistoric collection. We can date the end of the prehistoric era with the arrival of the Phoenicians around 1000 BC.
The Punic Era
Here begins the familiar legends : Elyssa and Amilcar, Hannibal and his elephants, and Carthage the beautiful, destroyed and strewn with salt. In the many rooms dedicated to the Punic era the vast collection of fine statues and urns, grinning terra cotta masks and small glass paste amulets, stern faced funeral masks and precious jewelry invite us to linger and understand while we cannot forget the tragic images of the sacrifices carved in the funeral steles. The rooms of the Tophets, sanctuaries to Baal Ammon and Tanit, house these steles, with their symbols and strange inscriptions and those somber urns that hold the ashes of those sacrificed to these cruel gods. Through the art and sculpture of these carefully catalogued steles one can trace the evolution of these eastern Mediterranean peoples, from their arrival down through the centuries to their flowering as the citizens of the powerful Carthaginian empire. Although the destruction by the Romans obliterated much of their cities and temples, the Bardo has succeeded in gathering and preserving their long cultural history in Tunisia.
The Roman Era
Moving forward we find the Roman presence in Tunisia expressed and exhibited in the hundreds of mosaics adorning the walls and floor of the Bardo. Gathered from countless ancient sites these priceless images bear witness to the wealth and prosperity of Roman Tunisia, its gods and goddesses, myths and realities, day to day activities and exuberant festivities.
The Sousse Room displays the grandiose Triumph of Neptune, Oudna with an exquisite Venus at her bath, El Jem Room boasting of the Triumph of Baccus and the lovely Nine Muses and certainly the renowned Virgil writing the Eneide, the only known portrait of this great Roman poet, in the room that bears his name. How real are the hunting scenes with the snarling beasts, the richness of the marine mosaics , the sea teeming with life, the bountiful harvests, the brave Ulysses and the proud Diana the Huntress...all brought to life by these unknown masters of the ancient art.
The rooms of the Bardo dedicated to this prestigious collection are bathed in the splendor of the Mediterranean sunlight preserving their natural colors and hues. In addition to the mosaics, fine statues and urns, amphora and jewelry, add to our appreciation of the great artistry of these peoples of Roman Africa.
The Christian Era
The Christian era appears in the mosaics around the later part of the 3rd century, with its themes taken from the Bible and including the symbolism of the New Testament. While the majority of mosaics and statuary are from Carthage, churches and chapels throughout Tunisia were decorated with mosaics and particularly fine images on grave stones.
The Early Christian rooms of the Bardo display a mosaic
baptismal immersion font in the shape of a Greek cross from a 6th century church in Cap Bon, while a cruciform marble font was found in Djerba.
Another page in the long cultural and artistic history of Tunisia is turned as the Bardo Museum brings us the Islamic Art collection, housed in the Hussein Palace. In the exquisitely decorated Harem Room is a collection of rare ancient fabrics and the elegant and harmonious inner courtyard opens to rooms holding a precious collection of medieval Islamic pottery and jewelry as well as beautiful illuminated pages from the sacred texts. Excelling in the decorative arts, finely wrought arabesques and intricate geometric pattern characterize much of Islamic artwork in wood, stucco and brass from the 16th to the 19th centuries.
Like all great museums, the Bardo answers many questions while awakening the desire to learn more about Tunisian history, as the departure point for travels to the various ancient Tunisian sites, Carthage, El Jem, Utica, Dougga, Kerkouane, Sousse , Kairouan, or as the culmination of a fascinating visit to this country of a long and rich cultural heritage.