Tibet's architectural icon, the Potala Palace, reopened to tourists on Wednesday ten days after it was closed for security reasons after the riots on March 14, a palace official said on Wednesday.

The palace, built in the Seventh Century and on the world cultural heritage list, was closed the day after the riots in which 18 civilians and one police officer were killed, said Jampa Gesang, head of the Potala Palace administration office.

He said 24 tourists and 75 Tibetan Buddhism followers visited the palace on Wednesday.

The Potala Palace received more than one million tourists in 2007, a 56 percent increase year-on-year.

(Xinhua News Agency March 27, 2008)