Musée national de Carthage
Trésors puniques et romains sur la colline de Byrsa
About This Museum
Le Musée national de Carthage se dresse au sommet de la colline de Byrsa, au cœur même de l’antique Carthage et dominant le golfe de Tunis. Fondé en 1875, il est, aux côtés du Bardo, l’un des deux grands musées archéologiques de Tunisie et rassemble les plus belles découvertes faites sur le site de la cité légendaire fondée par les Phéniciens.
Ses collections retracent toute l’histoire de Carthage, de ses origines puniques jusqu’aux périodes romaine, byzantine et islamique. On y admire des stèles du Tophet, des masques de terre cuite et de verre finement travaillés, des bijoux d’or, de la statuaire en marbre et une remarquable série de mosaïques romaines, ainsi que les célèbres sarcophages de marbre des prêtres et prêtresses. Depuis la terrasse du musée, le panorama sur le parc archéologique et la mer est tout simplement inoubliable.
What You'll Discover
- ✓Punic stelae from the Tophet Roman mosaics and marble statuary Punic terracotta and glass masks Gold and glass jewellery Marble sarcophagi of the priests and priestesses Panoramic terrace over the Gulf of Tunis
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Questions fréquemment posées
The Carthage National Museum, situated on Byrsa Hill at the heart of the ancient Carthage site, displays Punic and Roman artefacts from the city and its territory. Key collections include Punic funerary stelae, terracotta masks, gold jewellery, marble sarcophagi of priests and priestesses, and everyday objects illuminating Punic daily life.
The museum was founded in 1875 by French White Fathers (Pères Blancs) missionaries, making it one of the oldest museums in Tunisia. It was subsequently expanded and transferred to Tunisian state management.
Yes, the Carthage National Museum on Byrsa Hill is included with the combined Carthage site ticket, which also covers access to the Antonine Baths, the Tophet, the Roman Theatre, and other monuments across the zone.
Byrsa Hill was the citadel and religious heart of ancient Carthage. According to legend, it was the first land claimed by the Phoenician founder Dido. Today the hill preserves Punic remains beneath a Roman-era residential quarter, and the museum building itself is adjacent to an excavated block of Punic houses.
The marble sarcophagi of a Punic priest and priestess, delicately carved in a Greco-Punic style, are among the museum's treasures. The collection of Punic funerary masks, gold pendants with Tanit symbols, and locally made amphorae traces the artistic and commercial life of Punic Carthage over several centuries.
The museum is on Byrsa Hill in Carthage, reachable by the TGM suburban train from Tunis (Carthage-Hannibal or Carthage-Byrsa stops). From the station it is a short walk uphill to the museum entrance.
