Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reuters
Reuters
Entertainment
Jihed Abidellaoui

Tunisian enthusiast recreates sea snail purple dye that defined ancient royals

FILE PHOTO: Mouhamad Ghassen Nouira extracts the glands from murex snails to produce a dye known as Tyrian purple, at home in Tunis, Tunisia February 5, 2022. REUTERS/Amira Karaoud

A Tunisian history enthusiast is making dye from sea snail shells inspired by a school project decades ago on ancient Carthage and the purple colouring that brought fabulous wealth to the classical world.

Mouhamad Ghassen Nouira works from a hut in his garden to process murex snails using techniques first developed by the Phoenicians to produce a dye known as Tyrian purple that sells online for about $2,500 a gram.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.