TUNIS: Sitting in his vast office, crammed full of relics and curiosities, museum curator Taher Ghalia has good reason to welcome the new government. Just as a fresh breeze now blows through the country's politics and press, Tunisia's cultural institutions too have the chance to flourish. Instead of protecting the nation's treasures from the hands of former ruler, Ghalia is heading up a major renovation project to bring them to the people. “There was a trade in antiquities, but fortunately the Bardo wasn't touched,” said Ghalia who clashed with the former first couple earlier in his career. From the outside, the modern buildings of the Bardo are just large, white rectangular blocks. Once inside, however, thousands of years of history unravel before you, from the ancient civilization of the Phoenicians to the Romans. Home to the world's largest collection of Roman mosaics, there are also statues, busts of emperors, an important collection of fabrics hailing from the Fatimid dynasty and a hoard of 1,600 gold pieces dating back to 430 AD. Currently in a bit of a jumble, they await display in the new exhibition rooms, still empty but smelling of freshly-laid plaster and cement. The curator took up his post in 2003. At the time it was considered a punishment for the Roman and Byzantine-era specialist who dared to oppose “the family”. Yet he has never regretted it. Even less so after unprecedented protests by the Tunisian people saw the end of their leader's 23-year rule. The curator hopes the renovation project will help restore people's thirst for culture. The restoration is being funded with the help of a World Bank loan of 25 million dinars ($18.6 million) which will go toward research and construction, among other things. The renovation is scheduled for completion in November, when Ghalia hopes to see the number of visitors climb from the current five to 10 percent of total visitors to closer to 30 or 40 percent.
