THE COLOR: PURPLE | Discovering Tel Shikmona and the Secrets of Purple

THE COLOR: PURPLE

The main focal point of spring 2026 exhibition clusteris the archaeological site at Tel Shikmona (Tell es-samak, “The Fish Mound”) and the production of purple dye from sea snails—an activity that took place at the site in ancient times. The cluster includes a new archaeological-historical exhibition dedicated to the production of purple (argaman and tekhelet), as well as art exhibitions responding to the remarkable presence of the archaeological tell within the urban setting of Haifa and to the traces of lost time embodied in it. These join the “Fish Mound” exhibition, which exhibits local finds attesting to a remarkably long duration of continuous settlement at Tel Shikmona—from the late Bronze Age to the late Byzantine era.

A new signage and accessibility project at Tel Shikmona, led by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, will give visitors the opportunity to delve once again into the fascinating story of the site.

The Secrets of Purple and Tekhelet Resembles the Sea—are two new time-capsules that offer a glimpse into the production of argaman and tekhelet in antiquity, at Tel Shikmona and throughout the Mediterranean basin. These displays offer new, intriguing insights about Tel Shikmona as a significant purple production center during the reign of the Kingdom of Israel (Bronze Age). 

“So small, so humble, I float in the sea”—A solo exhibition by Haifa artist Maja Gratzfeld, inspired both by the finds from Tel Shikmona exhibited at the museum and by archaeological remains at the site itself, as well as the history of its excavation. Gratzfeld explores the long-lost traces of purple production, a prestigious dye obtained from the bodies of sea snails, alongside other ancient crafts. The exhibition was created under the museum’s Artist-in-Residence program, in collaboration with Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa.

The Tell and I—is a group art exhibition comprising artworks that explore different aspects of the tell: as a unique phenomenon of urban nature, as an archaeological site in the midst of a busy city, and as an ancient dye and textile manufacturing center. Some of the artworks in the exhibition react directly to the physical encounter with the mound, while others conjure the colors and light of the coastal environment or echo the unique palette of dyes, ranging from tekhelet to argaman.

Adi Shelach
Curator of the National Maritime Museum