Megalithic Temples of Malta
This WHS was extended in 1991 to include 5 temples on the Malta main island, next to the 2 Gigantija temples on Gozo island. They are Hagar Qin, Mnajdra, Tarxien, Ta'Hagrat and Skorba.
These megalithic monuments are known as “the oldest free-standing monuments in the world”. They date from ca. 3000 B.C.
Visit May 2005
I visited them the wrong way around, I now notice: the "youngest" temple first. This one is at Tarxien, in the town of Paola (close to the Hypogeum). It looks like you're in someone's backyard, but there are really fine features here. For example the animal reliefs.
On the other side of the island are the temples of Hagar Qim and Mnjadra. The Mnjadra temples have the most beautiful setting, near the sea and the islet Fifla.
After that, I went to Gozo island to visit the Gigantija temples. Less refined, more bulky than the others they are. A visit to the archeological museum in Valetta to see the more delicate findings finished it all.
More photos can be found in the Picture Gallery
Reviews
Paul Zammit (Malta):
These temples are indeed the world's oldest free standing monuments and as such I have to say that even the Maltese ourselves are concerned by the fact that the Tarxien temples (only) are situated in the middle of a busy town. However, their grandeur and the mystical atmosphere that surrounds them are overwhelming.
On the other hand, I really have to politely disagree with one comment that I read, this being: 'OK they might not equal Stonehenge for grandeur and mystery'. Although the stonehenge is another marvelous relict that our predecessors left to their successors, I believe that comparisons are inappropriate in this case. Besides, the megalithic temples situated on the Maltese archipelago are older, much more grandiose, more instructive (less fantasy is involved in their interpretation) and a 'must-see-to-believe' relics than the mere stonehenge in many people's opinion apart from mine! |
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Ian Cade (England):
 These seven temples are distributed across Malta and its sister island of Gozo. They consist of some of the oldest freestanding buildings in the world, providing an insight into some of the earliest forms of human worship. As such there is no doubt about the legitimacy of this inscription.
The first group of temples we visited were those at Tarxien, in the suburbs of Valletta and only a few minutes walk from the Hypogeum. These temples were built in the latest phase of temple building on Malta and contain some more advanced features, such as carvings of animals and the statues of ‘Fat Ladies’ in Paul Tanners picture below. I have to say that I was very under whelmed by this site, to the uninitiated it looks little more than a pile of large boulders in a patch of wasteland left over in the middle of town. However the staff were friendly and informative and they had great plans for a new visitors centre so hopefully things will be looking up for this site.
The other site we visited was the Ġgantija temple on the neighbouring island of Gozo. These were much more impressive and larger than the other temples, they also claim to be the oldest free standing structures in the world, though the temples at Ta'Hagrat and Skorba are probably older. I enjoyed this visit much more as the temples were in a much nicer location overlooking Gozo and back to Malta, the structures were also much larger. As a quick note if you plan to visit on Sunday there are only three busses to the temples, a return taxi fare should be around 7-8 Lm (€18). The Citadel at Victoria is worth a quick look around if you are in this part of the country.
These sites are worthy of their place on the list, however I was a little disappointed by my first experience, so a visit to a few of the temple would provide a more representative idea of their worth, and also a nice way of seeing more of the country. |
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Congratulations, you have a wonderful and complete site.
Yes, the feeling of being in a temple that is pre-historic is like finding a dinassour alive in front of you. Malta as far as historic goes is the best.
Your imagination can also be carried away, somehow I had the feeling of having lived those times. |
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Ingemar Eriksson (Sweden):
I have seen the Tarxien temples from where Pauls photo comes. I was on a group tour and was not very thrilled but if you are into this stone-age art this must be some of the better places in the world.
The Maltesian government are building som kind of visitor center in the coming years and that might help the understanding and experience. |
| Date posted: June 2006 |
Paul Tanner (UK):
 “Megaliths” are defined as “large mostly undressed stones arranged by man for a religious purpose …(during the period) from the 5th to the 2nd millennium BC (approx Neolithic to Early Bronze)”. The UNESCO list contains a number of such sites from among the many thousands in Europe (I wonder if Els’s “themes” shouldn’t separate them out from within the general archaeological list?). Those on Malta are “up with” the best and should not be missed by anyone visiting the islands. OK they might not equal Stonehenge for grandeur and mystery (though that site unfortunately is impossible now to see under ideal conditions) but you will I am sure be amazed at the technical achievements of these long passed peoples and left wondering about the beliefs which drove the constructions. The wonderful “fat ladies” (photo) also add a human touch. Ideally you will need a car and merely searching out the sites can provide a useful framework for a tour of Malta. You should cross to Gozo to see the original 2 temples at Gijantija as well as at least a couple of the other 5 (Hagar Qim and Mnajdra in the south of the island are perhaps the best?). |
| Date posted: January 2006 |
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