TUNIS, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The United States has granted Tunisia 430,000 U.S. dollars for the restoration of the Amphitheatre of El Jem, Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP) reported Wednesday.
This grant, initiated by the U.S. Embassy to Tunisia, was offered by the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, in order to preserve the Amphitheatre of El Jem which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.
"The Tunisian-American partnership in restoration and preservation will help to integrate urban archaeological wealth in the economic circuit through tourism," TAP quoted Tunisian Minister of Culture Mohamed Zine El-Abidine as saying at the inauguration of the restoration project.
Illustrating the grandeur of Imperial Rome, the thrid-centrury Amphitheatre of El Jem is the largest amphitheater in North Africa, which could hold up to 35,000 spectators.
