The return of a precious fragment of the Tunisian heritage has materialized. The National Institute of Heritage (INP) announced, Wednesday evening, the recovery of six archaeological and ethnographic pieces, which have remained on deposit since 1995 in the reserves of the Institute of the Arab World (IMA) in Paris. They had been loaned as part of the project “Museum of Arab Museums”.
In a press release published on its official page, the INP specifies that these objects were officially submitted to its services. These are two archaeological pieces from the historic sites of Carthage and Sabra Al-Mansouria (near Kairouan), as well as four ethnographic pieces from the Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions in Tunis.
This repatriation was made possible thanks to an agreement signed between the National Institute of Tunisian Heritage and the Institute of the Arab World. He followed a visit made by the director of the INP, Tarak Baccouche, in Paris at the end of October 2024, during which the situation of the Tunisian parts still held by the IMA was examined.
This return is the first step in a broader agreement. It has also been agreed to extend the loan of other Tunisian pieces currently exhibited at the IMA museum, with a restitution planned by the end of 2026.
