The prehistoric Temples of Malta

UNESCO has designated the main Megalithic Temples of Malta and the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum as WORLD HERITAGE SITES. The following is an extract from the Reports of the 4th (1980) and the 16th (1992) Sessions of the Committee:

Seven megalithic temples are to be found on the islands of Malta and Gozo, each a result of an individual development. The Ggantija complex on the island of Gozo is remarkable for its superhuman achievements dating from [the Bronze Age] 3,600 BCE On the island of Malta, the temples of Hagar Qim, Mnajdra and Tarxien are unique architectural masterpieces, given the very limited resources of their builders. The Ta’ Hagrat and Skorba complexes bear witness to the development of the temple tradition in Malta. The Hal Saflieni Hypogeum is an enormous subterranean structure excavated with cyclopean rigging to lift huge blocks of coralline limestone around the year 2500 bc (3,000 BCE). The Hypogeum, possibly conceived as a sanctuary, has been a necropolis since prehistoric times.

The Megalithic Temples of the Maltese islands are on the prestigious World Heritage Sites list, but a few people know about these prehistoric free-standing stone structures in the world which are much older than the Pyramids of Egypt and Stonehenge. This Web site is being constructed to give information about these sites and the other temple sites in Malta that are not on the UNESCO list.