The scale is staggering. The #Louvre has ~1,400 of these steles. The #British #Museum has 800+. Their story is about more than archaeology; it's about who controls history.
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This isn't just #history. From 1994-1998, MORE fragments were pulled from the wreck and sent to the Louvre. The story of this dispersal—and the loss—is still being written.
livres.louvre.fr/steles-puniq...
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Salvage crews recovered ~1,400 steles, but a contemporary report described hundreds as "calcified," "blackened," or broken into pieces "only good to be thrown away." They weren't lost to time in #Tunisia, but to a shipping accident on their way to #France.

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In 1875, the French warship #Magenta, loaded with thousands of sacred steles excavated from #Carthage, caught fire and sank in #Toulon harbor. The transport of these treasures had ended in a catastrophe.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_...

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🚨 The #Louvre holds 1,383 Punic steles from #Carthage. But their journey to #Paris is a story of disaster that challenges the very idea of "safe keeping" in foreign museums. A thread... 🧵
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Note: Every #artifact you've seen in these photos was excavated from Tunisian soil and is now part of the British Museum's collection

You can check out 800+ items related to Tunisia on their official website:
britishmuseum.org/collection/t...

What do you think?

Is it more important that these pieces are shared with a global audience abroad, or should the focus be on keeping #cultural #heritage in its country of origin?

Here's a key thing to reflect on: We are talking about a single museum in a foreign country, which was not even the colonizer of Tunisia, housing over 800 of our artifacts. This makes you wonder about the historical networks of excavation, trade, and acquisition that led to this

From statues of emperors and gods to figures of everyday people, ancient vessels, dishes, coins...

It's a bittersweet feeling.

It's amazing to see our heritage shared with the world,
but it also makes you think about the journey these objects took from our soil.

A surprising number of them have a home far from home: the #British #Museum in #London.

I was diving into their online collection and was blown away by what I found. We're not just talking about a few coins, we're talking about stunning pieces that tell our story.

Did you know: ancient artifacts from all over the world often find their way to #London, and #Tunisia is no exception? 🇹🇳🇬🇧

Have you ever wondered what happened to all those incredible artifacts from our ancient cities like #Carthage, Dougga, and El Jem?

✨ It's a proud symbol of identity, once worn by all and still a vital part of #traditional attire.

Bringing home a #Chechia means taking home a piece of Tunisia's soul and directly supporting the local artisans who keep this ancient tradition alive.

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More than just a hat, the Chechia is a symbol of Tunisian heritage, a craft perfected over centuries.
Did you know?
✨ The art was brought by Andalusian migrants and perfected by Tunisian hands.
✨ Each Chechia is meticulously made by hand, from spinning the wool to the final dyeing and stamping.

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🌐 Other folios are in world-class institutions:
• Aga Khan Museum: A single folio & a rare bifolium (Toronto)
• Museum of Islamic Arts: Two folios (Doha, Qatar)
• The Khalili Collection: Two folios (London)
• @metmuseum.org, Harvard Art Museum & others also hold pages.

So, where can you see these precious pages today? Here are some of the major holders:

🏛️ The Raqqada National Museum of Islamic Art near Kairouan, Tunisia, holds the largest collection: 67 folios.
www.patrimoinedetunisie.com.tn/en/museums/t...

What makes it so unique? Its breathtaking appearance: brilliant gold ink on a deep blue indigo parchment. This color combination was exceptionally rare and costly, signifying its importance as a royal commission.

The Blue #Quran (al-Muṣḥaf al-′Azraq) is an early Quranic manuscript famous for its Kufic #script. Its exact origins are debated, but it's widely believed to have been created in the late 9th to mid-10th century, possibly in #Kairouan, Tunisia or Córdoba, #Spain

🧵The "Blue Quran" is one of the most stunning and mysterious manuscripts in Islamic art. Let's explore this masterpiece written in gold on a rare indigo-dyed parchment. #IslamicArt #History #Tunisia

Image: © Marie-Lan Nguyen