The Sousse Archaeological Museum

I love museums, especially ones with a focus on history, so naturally when looking up things to do in Sousse the Sousse Archaeological Museum made it to the top of my list. Not only is the museum full of great artefacts, but the building itself is an 11th century Kasbah so it’s worth visiting just for that!

The museum went through a refurbishment and re-opened in 2012 with objects dating back to the 7th century BC. I spent around an hour at the museum, as I went near closing time, but you could easily spend a few hours here. Unfortunately I can’t seem to find an official website to share prices/times but it was very reasonably priced when I visited.

Getting to the Museum

Mosaic of Neptune riding in a chariot pulled by two horses with tails for hind legs. — Mosaic of the Triumph of Neptune

As the museum is located in the Medina, it can be a bit confusing to find it because of all the winding streets. However, I personally thought that was part of the fun of exploring the Medina!

Howewer, if you want to get there directly then I would recommend entering the Medina at the west entrance, La Porte Occidentale, and then heading south while sticking beside the wall. The museum is located in the South-West corner of the Medina.

Sousse Archaeological Museum Mosaics

Mosaic of a naked woman riding a strange looking beast. It is green with a feline shape and lots of spots. — Mosaic of a nereid on a sea tiger from the 2nd century.

The Sousse Archaeological Museum has the second largest collection of mosaics in the world, only beaten by the Bardo museum in Tunis. I adore mosaics, they’re one of my favourite forms of art, so I knew I couldn’t skip this museum!

One of my favourite objects in the museum was the Byzantine baptismal font. It is so intricately decorated while also being a 3D object rather than just the regular 2D mosaics. There were so many mosaics though, I was delighted by all of them. Many of them were very large and detailed mosaics rather than simple patterns.

My main focus was the mosaics, however they do also have statues too such as one of the Greek god Priapus.

Photo of a statue of the Greek god Priapus. — Statue of Priapus

The Courtyard

Aside from all the great displays, the museum has a fantastic courtyard where you can rest. While I was visiting, we even saw a tortoise just wandering around. When I visited, the courtyard was very quiet and peaceful. There isn’t much shade though, other than the shade from the building itself.

As you’re located in the Kasbah, you are higher than most other buildings in the area which means you can get a great view from the courtyard. You can see all the way out to the coast with a good view of the harbour.

View of Sousse from the Sousse Archaeological Museum

Photo of a phallic shaped fish mosaic — Mosaic of a fish shaped phallus (or phallic shaped fish).

I had a great time at this museum and would definitely consider it a must-do when visiting Sousse. You can easily include it on a trip to the Medina – I would recommend visiting it first so you don’t have to carry your shopping around as you explore it. If you love mosaics, then you will love this museum.

Looking for more things to do on your trip to Tunisia? Check out my other posts on Tunisia.