Bardo National Museum in Tunis - Mediterranean Cruise Port of Call

The Bardo National Museum (Le Musee National du Bardo) is a marvelous museum in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. Bardo has the world's largest collection of Roman mosaics, most of which were moved from sites in Tunisia and North Africa such as Carthage.

The large museum is set in a palace that originally dates back to the 13th century. Today's Bardo Museum is a mixture of 17th and 18th century Moorish architecture.

Although the exterior and interiors of the Bardo Museum are attractive, it is the detailed, complex mosaics that make this museum the most important tourist site in Tunis. The museum is divided into five eras, with artifacts from each:

• Prehistoric
• Carthaginian
• Roman
• Christian
• Islamic

Most of the mosaics are Roman, with some dating back to the second century. The intricate mosaics are impressive.

Cruise ships sailing the western Mediterranean often include a stopover at La Goulette, the port for Tunis, and offer tours to the Bardo Museum, the Tunis Medina, and Sidi Bou Said.