The museum stands at the heart of the modern city and contains collections covering all periods of Tunisia’s history with objects originating from the city and its outskirts but also from sites further away. It has just undergone refurbishment now making the visit that much more pleasant.

Most of the collections date to the Roman period and come from the archaeological site of Thyna (Thaenae) located a dozen kilometres south of Sfax; but also from other sites (Taparura – ancient Sfax, Louza, Mahres).
Other civilisations are also represented in the museum, from prehistory (objects from the far away western steppes) to the first Islamic era or more recently, to the local dynasties.

The collections are displayed on two levels according to modern standards; signage and explanatory panels in several languages made the visit both useful and agreeable.