In a bid to promote extremism and a stance against Islamic extremism, Tunisians have unveiled a national flag the size of 19 football pitches, AFP has reported.
Tunisians are hoping to set a new Guiness world record with the giant flag, which organisers said that took 80 kilometres (50 miles) of fabric to make. It is 104,544 square metres (1,125,302 square foot) and weighed in at 12.6 tonnes.
Hundreds of people turned out for the event at Ong Jmel in the southern desert on Saturday, an AFP correspondent said.
The red and white banner was saluted by an honour guard of troops as it was laid out on the sand to the playing of the national anthem.
Spokeswoman Raya Ben Guiza said the project was the idea of a local textile manufacturer who had been shocked and angered by an incident at Manouba arts faculty near Tunis in 2012. There, a hardline student tore down the national emblem and replaced it with a black Islamist flag.
When another student Khaoula Rachidi tried to put the national flag back up, she was assualted and only just escaped serious injury. Rachidi became a national hero for her actions.
The judging of the Guinness World Records will be in the next few days.
