ATHENS, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Greece is ready to reopen on Saturday a palace of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia where Alexander the Great (356 B.C.-323 B.C.) was declared king.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis inaugurated the restored palace in the northern Greek city of Vergina on Friday. The site has been under restoration over the past 16 years.
The palace, named after Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, is the centerpiece at the archaeological site of Aigai.
Mitsotakis expressed hope that the restored palace will draw more visitors to Aigai, which served as the capital of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia and was awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site status. The archaeological site of Aigai was the largest building in classical Greece, covering nearly 15,000 square meters.
The palace was destroyed in the 2nd century B.C., after the definitive destruction of the kingdom by the Romans. Over the centuries, most of its building materials have been looted. The remains of the stones were revealed through the excavations that began in the 19th century.
The 20.3-million-euro (22.22 million U.S. dollars) restoration project was funded by the European Union, Greek national news agency AMNA reported.
