Megalitichs Temples of Malta

Aurora Gronchi and Aurora Hasa

Partway between mainland Europe and Africa in the Mediterranean Sea, lies the small island of Malta and its even smaller neighbour, Gozo. These islands are best known for their megalithic temples built by Neolithic inhabitants five to six thousand years ago. The temples are a testament to a tradition of prehistoric architecture that is totally unique to this part of the world. Recognising their international importance, UNESCO classified six of them as parts of the ‘Megalithic Temples of Malta’ World Heritage Site.

The six temples

The two temples of Ggantija on the island of Gozo are notable for their gigantic Bronze Age structures. On the island of Malta, the temples of Hagar Qim, Mnajdra and Tarxien are unique architectural masterpieces. The Ta'Hagrat and Skorba complexes show how the tradition of temple-building was handed down in Malta.

the construction

The Maltese temples are constructed of stone. The curvatures of the temples reflect the circular plan of ordinary houses of the time, but are also reminiscent of underground funeral chambers. The basic temple plan consists of a variable number of hemispheric chambers, branching off from a narrow entrance path. The apses are incomplete domes, built of ingeniously corbelled stone, broad at the base and curving in towards the top.

the mnajdra temples

The Mnajdra Temples are a complex made up of three temples adjacently joined to another one but not connected. They are located close to Hagar Qim Temples. Each one of the temples has a separate entrance and consists of a number of altars and oracles which were used by the worshipers to communicate with the gods. Today the temples are covered with a huge cover to protect them from the elements. It has been suggested that the temples might have represented the head, arms and legs of a deity, since one of the commonest kinds of statue found in these temples is a 'fat' woman (Venus of Malta from Hagar Qim), a symbol of fertility.

why is it included in the unesco WHL?

Criterion (iv): The Megalithic Temples of Malta are remarkable not only because of their originality, complexity and striking massive proportions, but also because of the considerable technical skill required in their construction. The Committee decided to extend the existing cultural property, the "Temple of Ggantija"(sgantia), to include the five prehistoric temples situated on the islands of Malta and Gozo and to rename the property as "The Megalithic Temples of Malta".

tourism flows

Many tourists from all over the world come to Malta to visit the prehistoric temples and their extraordinary statues and statuettes. In 2012 more than 1.45 million inbound visitors landed in Malta. Taking into consideration the smallness of the islands, this large number of tourists creates pressures on the cultural heritage sites and museums. Tourism Policy Malta has set as its objective to have what has been termed a ‘better-quality tourist’. In this way it is hoped tourism creates the least possible damage to the built and natural environments.