Tunisia artifacts : East and West cultural mosaics

The long history of Tunisia and its interactions with different cultures create many beautiful and interesting artifacts.  You can see the cultural influence on these artifacts across different cultures at different time periods.  In this page, we share some of the artifacts that we saw during our trip to Tunisia.

From the Punic city, Kerkouane, in the Cape Bon, we saw many historical artifacts of 4th to 3rd century BC.  These artifacts show high skill levels of their creators and influence of the Hellenistic art.

(Terracotta lion of 4th century BC)

(Earthenware mask)

(Pottery jar with Greek motif)

Tunisia enjoyed economic growth and wealth from the Mediterranean trades during the Carthage and the Roman times.  Beautiful floor mosaics were created in both public buildings and homes of wealthy people.  Many of them are displayed in local and overseas museums.  In case you travel to Tunisia, you should reserve at least half a day for the Bardo Museum.  There is a rich collection of Tunisia floor mosaics.  If you are interested to know more about mosaics art, you can read Dunbabin, Katherine. Mosaics of the Greek and Roman world. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1999.

(Floor mosaic with multiple pictures)

(Mosaic of Greek myth Ulysses)

(One of the best mosaics in Bardo Museum - Virgil and two muses)

With the coming of Arabs to North Africa, Islamic religion and arts were introduced to Tunisia.  Beautiful arts are displayed in local mosques and household decorations.  Ceramics tiles and pottery show the influence of Andalusia and other parts of the Islamic world.

(Colourful earthenware and pottery for sale)

(Ceiling decoration with Andalusia wood work)



(Beautiful wall ties in a mosque)

(Columns from Carthage and Roman buildings are reused in a mosque)