ROUND TRIP THROUGH TUNISIA 5 - Tunis, Bardo Museum

During our stop in Tunis from the capital itself, we haven't seen very much. Our guide hurried us to the medina where he probably had some friends with shops !

The medina is found at the centre of the city, a dense agglomeration of alleys and covered passages, full of intense scents and colours, boisterous and active trade, and a surfeit of goods on offer ranging from leather to plastic, tin to the finest filigree, tourist souvenirs to the works of tiny crafts shops.



I prefered to look up at the architecture and not aside into the shops.



It was very crowded and hard to get through the small streets full of people.



I liked to discover special views like here a barber !

Unfortunately one of our group members was so intelligent to take all his papers, money and even his flight tickets into the crowded medina and of course a well trained pick pocket stole him everything ! I wonder how people can be so stupid, he could have left it in the secured coach ! Anyway he had to go to the police together with the driver as our guide lost his head again and didn't know what to do, and we all had to wait for 2 hours on a street in Tunis until everything was settled.







and that's all I saw, beautiful architecture, lots of people and a lot of traffic.

A little late, we finally arrived at the National Bardo Museum. Thousands of objects originating from excavations carried out all over the country during the 19th and 20th centuries are on display. These are divided into departments between fifty or so rooms and galleries, illustrating the various stages of Tunisia’s history, from prehistory to the middle of the last century.

Thanks to its collection of mosaics, the Bardo museum has gained an international reputation for the richest, the most varied and the most refined collection.
more about the museum here.

Unfortunately a big part of the museum was closed for renovation.





The entrance



From there on it was closed



Amazing mosaics



and our guide from the Tunisian Travel Service who as usual didn't know what to explain



Fortunately we had a guide from the museum a very good French/English speaking young woman.



In a corner I discovered this statue, waiting for the right place !



Beautiful mosaics



and a Roman baptismal font



Roman vases

After a while I had enough of the guide's long explanations and wandered around to take some other pictures. I met a young man and told him how sad it was that such a big part of the museum was closed.
He smiled and opened the part which was closed to the public and made me a sign to follow him. I didn't hesitate for a moment, I like things which are not allowed ! 



and so I had the chance to see new discovered statues, still wrapped



the statue of a pig from Roman times



a room which was already ready for visitors



Sarcophagus and even a very tiny one for a baby



they all were beautifully sculptured.



From one window he showed me the view on the city residence of the President, and I could take these pictures through the grids.

Then we went back, I gave him 2 €, he was happy and me too and I joined our group again until the tour ended. I was quiet happy about my experience and the others were quiet jalous !