The Bardo National Museum (Bardo Museum) in Algiers, Algeria… The Finest Museum in North Africa
The National Museum of Bardo in Algiers, Algeria
Average visit duration: 2 hours
Museum: Historical, cultural, civilization.
Location: Didouche Mourad, Central Algiers, Algiers.
Ticket prices: 100 Algerian dinars.
The Bardo National Museum, also known as the Bardo Museum, is located in the capital city of Algeria. It stands as one of the finest museums in North Africa, where you can sense the breath and imprints of others in its corridors, spanning through eras and past times, capturing the scent of Algerian soil.
The Bardo Museum is a gem of artistic and architectural brilliance, classified as a historical and national monument in 1985, with its construction dating back to the 17th century.
It was built by the Tunisian prince Hajj Ben Omar after his exile from Tunisia, intended to serve as a palace and a summer residence.
Its expansion took place over hundreds of years.
The word “Bardo” is derived from the Spanish word “El Parral,” meaning a place covered with roses.
The Bardo National Museum is one of the most beautiful and significant historical landmarks in the capital city of Algeria
In 1930, commemorating a century since the French occupation of Algeria, the palace was inaugurated as a museum of prehistory and ethnography.
The museum houses important collections from prehistoric civilizations, collected from various corners of Algerian land.
Sites such as Ain Hanach in Setif, Timgad in Biskra, and the ancient sites in Tébessa, as well as Tassili, Hagar, and others, contribute to these collections, featuring materials ranging from stone, clay, shells, metals, paintings, and rock engravings.
The museum showcases the skeletal structure of “Tin Hinan,” the spiritual mother of the Tuareg people, along with all the artifacts found in her tomb.
The Bardo Museum also exhibits ethnographic treasures, focusing on the material aspects of human activity, encompassing diverse customs and traditions.
These exhibits are organized based on themes and the materials they are made from, whether urban, rural, or desert, reconstructing scenes from daily life in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The Bardo National Museum (Bardo Museum)… A Tourist Landmark Worthy of a Visit
The Bardo Museum ranks among the most beautiful and significant historical landmarks in the capital city of Algeria. It stands as an artistic and architectural masterpiece, reflecting both Andalusian and Ottoman styles, covering an area of approximately 1650m².
The museum comprises diverse sections, ranging from sewing and embroidery halls to spacious baths, gardens, courtyards, and reception halls, all the way to a courtyard adorned with a marble basin and a fountain with flowing water.
The museum captivates every visitor and offers them a sense of tranquility and mental clarity.
The museum underwent extensive restoration work for six years and was reopened to the public in 2013.
Currently, efforts are underway to provide the necessary technological conditions to reopen all museum halls to visitors and present all artifacts and historical pieces anew, so that the museum can regain its splendor and vitality once again.
Discover the Bardo Museum through the following photo gallery: