SC-S29|Geo-Quest Mystery – Week 4: History Glitch

_{Médersa Slimania Tunisian earthenware telling a story often misattributed.}

Hello Steemians,

For this challenge, I chose a place where history has not disappeared, but where its identity has been quietly distorted. My visit to Médersa Slimania revealed a different kind of glitch not one of time travel, but one of historical attribution.

The walls still speak clearly.
It is the narrative around them that is broken.

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Médersa Slimania A Place of Knowledge and Craft

Médersa Slimania is located in the heart of Tunis, within the historic fabric of the old city. Like many medersas, it was built as a place of learning, reflection, and transmission of knowledge. Architecture here was never only functional; it was also a cultural language.

One of the strongest elements of this language is earthenware tilework. These tiles were not added for decoration alone. They carried meaning, identity, and continuity, reflecting the values and skills of Tunisian artisans across centuries.

Yet today, this same earthenware is often casually described as “Moroccan style”, a label repeated so frequently that it begins to replace the truth. This replacement is the glitch.

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The Real History Glitch When Identity Is Renamed

Inside Médersa Slimania, time has layered itself gently rather than erased itself. What changes is not the wall, but the story told about it.

The earthenware here is Tunisian. Its roots trace back to Carthaginian craftsmanship, were influenced by Roman techniques, and later refined and preserved during the Beylical period. This continuity existed long before modern borders and modern labels.

Calling this craft “Moroccan” is not a neutral mistake. It is a historical shortcut that ignores local evolution and erases Tunisian contribution through repetition.

The real History Glitch is not that the past overlaps with the present.
It is that truth is slowly overwritten by habit.

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One Wall, Multiple Periods of History

The strongest evidence is visible directly on the walls.

_{The same wall showing different colors and tile styles.}

_{Upper and lower sections revealing separate periods of repair and replacement.}

_{Layered earthenware proving continuity rather than imitation.}

From top to bottom, the wall changes.
Colors shift. Patterns evolve. Repairs appear.

If this were a borrowed or imported style applied at one moment in time, the wall would be uniform. Instead, it is uneven, repaired, and human. Each layer represents a moment where Tunisian artisans maintained the same tradition rather than replacing it.

The wall itself corrects the false narrative.

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Motifs, Forms, and Tunisian Visual Language

_{Floral motifs shaped by local taste and restraint.}

_{Balanced geometry and mineral-based colors.}

_{Handcrafted texture showing age and authenticity.}

The motifs are not excessive. The geometry is balanced, not ornamental for spectacle. The colors come from earth and minerals, not from shine.

This earthenware is handmade, crafted manually following traditional techniques preserved for centuries. Every tile is colored using 100% natural materials sourced from the environment. This tradition has continued from old history to today.

This visual language is found not only in medersas, but in Tunisian houses, kitchens, patios, and courtyards even today. It is a living tradition, not a museum copy.

The craft never left Tunisia.
Only its name was displaced.

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Earthenware as a Living Tableau

_{Different earthenware pieces forming a single visual composition.}

_{Text, form, and pattern working together on the wall.}

These walls function like tableaux. Each piece is different, yet together they form harmony. This is not mass production, but patient assembly across time.

History here is not frozen.
It is accumulated.

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Human Presence Inside the Glitch

_{Standing inside layers of Tunisian history.}

Standing in front of these walls, I am not observing history from a distance. I am physically placed between its layers. Behind me is proof of continuity; in front of me is a modern viewer often given the wrong explanation.

Correcting that explanation is part of preserving heritage.

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Video Proof Past and Present Together

I recorded a Speem.watch video on site inside Médersa Slimania.
In the video, I explain clearly that this earthenware is Tunisian, not Moroccan, and I show the physical evidence on the walls themselves.

At the entrance, I included a light human moment while eating a kafteji sandwich another everyday symbol of Tunisian identity. This contrast shows how ancient heritage and modern life naturally coexist.

Speem.watch link:
https://speem.watch/p/marwene/sc-s29-or-geo-quest-mystery-week-4-history-glitch

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Location and Practical Information

Item	Details
Place	Médersa Slimania
City	Tunis
Country	Tunisia
Cultural Element	Tunisian earthenware
Historical Roots	Carthaginian Roman Beylical
Environment	Historic medersa
SteemAtlas	[//]:# (!steematlas 36.7968096 lat 10.17210136 long Médersa Slimania d3scr)

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Final Reflection

History does not always disappear.
Sometimes it survives and gets renamed.

Médersa Slimania proves that Tunisian identity did not borrow its past.
It built it, maintained it, and still lives inside it.

The real History Glitch is not time.
It is forgetting who something truly belongs to.

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Best Regards,
@marwene

_{Photo Credits: All photos in this post were taken by me, @marwene using an iPhone 13 Pro Max.}

^{Posted with Speem}