After a 16-year, 20 million euro restoration endeavor to revive its historical splendor, an ancient palace where Alexander The Great was crowned King of Macedonia is set to reopen to the public on Sunday.
During a ceremony on Friday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis hailed the Palace of Aigai as a “monument of global importance.”
Dating back to the 4th century BC, the 15,000 square meter site holds significance comparable to the Parthenon in Athens within classical Greece.
Aigai served as the capital of the Macedonian kingdom, a dominant military power of its time, and archaeologists identify the palace as the kingdom’s spiritual center.
Constructed by Philip II, Alexander the Great’s father, the palace is in proximity to the tombs of Philip and other Macedonian kings, Yahoo News reported.
In 336 BC, Alexander was crowned at the palace following his father’s assassination, marking the commencement of a military campaign that established an empire stretching into modern-day India.
Prime Minister Mitsotakis emphasized the cultural and national importance of the palace, affirming the Greek identity of Macedonia over the centuries.
The site encompasses the royal palace, a surrounding colonnade, and the agora where ancient Macedonians deliberated on important matters.
The restoration, initiated in 2007 with support from the European Union, resurrects a place destroyed by Romans in 148 BC.
Situated near the modern Greek village of Vergina, the palace and its nearby tombs are designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as reported by Yahoo News.
Greece has heightened investment in its numerous ancient sites, contributing significantly to tourist revenue.
Concurrently, the nation continues its call for the return of sculptures taken from the Parthenon, housed in the British Museum, asserting they were looted during the 19th century when Greece was under Ottoman rule.
Written by B.C. Begley
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B.C. Begley 