The Palace of Aigai (Aegae), built by King Philip II of Macedonia, the father of Alexander the Great, and where Alexander was crowned king in 336 B.C. after the assassination of his father, has reopened after a 16-year major restoration.

The palace, located 72 km west of Greece’s northern port city of Thessaloniki, is one of the most important monuments in classical antiquity.

Excavations started in the 19th century, but the latest work has revealed considerably more of the complex, costing in excess of 20 million euros (£17m; $22m), partly funded by the European Union.

The official opening ceremony was held on Friday, January 5, attended by the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who remarked that “the significance of such monuments becomes the heritage of the entire world.”

Aigai, near today’s town of Vergina, was the capital of the Macedonian Empire, which was vastly expanded by the conquests of Alexander the Great as far east as India. Near the palace are the amazing underground tombs of Philip II and other Macedonian royalty, resplendent in gold and a vast array of other ancient treasures.

The tomb of Alexander himself, believed to be located in the city of Alexandria on the Egyptian coast, continues to elude discovery.

The palace fully opened to the public on Sunday, January 7.