This site is devoted to information about scientific and Jewish research on tekhelet תכלת, the ancient dyestuff that was made in the Mediterranean lands for dyeing wool and silk. was one of the most lucrative industries in Antiquity. The dye was produced from banded dye-murex (חילזון קהה-הקוצים, Murex trunculus) a special shellfish that is native to the Mediterranean Sea.
The information is presented largely as research papers and articles written by Dr. Israel Irving Ziderman of Jerusalem, Israel. Currently, he has been investigating the unique chemistry of mono-bromo-indigo, one of the tekhelet dyestuffs, which - when heated to 60 degrees C - changes colour from violet to blue, without any change in chemical structure!
In order to open a document listed in one of the categories that you access by clicking on the side or top menu of this homepage, please click on the link to download the document.
