Tunisia- The UNESCO organized a cultural event in its headquarters in Paris to recall the qualification of the “Dougga” historic site in Tunisia. The event aimed at promoting the historic heritage reserve of Tunisia and its history among the cultural and tourism circles worldwide.

The program of the event included an exhibition organized in the headquarters’ salon to feature items from the cultural heritage of the city of Dougga. It also included a lecture on the city’s history, and a show for many monuments from the Bardo National Museum, one of the biggest Tunisian museums.

Among the attendees of the event were Tunisian Minister of Tourism Salma Al Loumi, Tunisia’s ambassadors to France and the UNESCO, and Irina Bokova, UNESCO’s Director-General.

The Tunisian national TVs partook in the event, which will run from May 12 to May 20, by displaying a documentary entitled “Dougga…from stones to civilization” written and directed by the Tunisian Alaa Eddine bin Abdullah. The historic site of Dougga has been enlisted in the World Heritage List since 1997. It extends over 65 hectares and includes many historic features from the Romanian era.

The historic area includes many Romanian temples like the Capitol and Mercury established in the end of the second century, in addition to the Romanian theatre, Romanian cemeteries, palaces, a public square, passages, triumph arcs, public bathrooms, and fancy houses covered with mosaic. Dougga is also known with around 2000 engraves refering to different civilizations.

Throughout Tunisia’s relation with the UNESCO organization, eight historic sites were qualified as World Heritage Sites. More sites are also expected to be enlisted like the Djerba Island and Al Jarid beach in Southern Tunisia.