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

TUNIS (Reuters) - 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.