Megalithic Temples of Malta
Although Malta is known for its sun and beach, its history and association with the Knights of Malta drew me to first place. So, it was a pleasant surprise when I learned that the Maltese archipelago is also home to some of the oldest man-made structures ever discovered. Since Malta nowadays is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, I think there is something magical about these islands that attracts men and women to settle here over the millennia. Today’s Malta is a collection of desert rocks in the middle of the Mediterranean. It seems almost inconceivable that small barren islands could support a sophisticated civilization that created these grand megalithic temples.
Ħaġar Qim Temple.
To date, archaeologists have uncovered about twenty megalithic temples on the twin islands of Malta and Gozo. Thirteen of them are collectively inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The nation has already treasured this prehistoric heritage by conducting careful archaeological excavations of all major sites. Today, none of these megalithics are in the private hands and are collectively managed by a central government agency: Heritage Malta. For visitors, the Heritage Malta website is a wonderful one-stop shop to explore Malta’s numerous heritage sites.
Since Brian and I would be in Malta for more than a week, we opted to purchase their Heritage Pass, which includes admission to all of their sites (except for Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, which requires advanced reservation). In the end, we were able to visit six different megalithic temples on this trip. But I am not going to lie… there is something slightly repetitive about some of the temples. Unless you are an archaeologist or history buff, you will likely hit your limits with temple ruins. So below are four of our favorite megalithic temples we visited. If you had been to Malta, I hope you would agree!
Tarxien Temple, Malta
Conveniently located in Tarxien, the Tarxien Temple is only ten minutes from the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum. Pairing your visit to both sites is a no-brainer. And for those who opted not to rent a car, Tarxien was just a short bus ride away from the capital, Valletta, and is perhaps the most accessible of major temples there is. After touring the Hypogeum, we walked through a quiet residential neighborhood and arrived at a nondescript entrance. Seeing a monumental temple ruin in the middle of a residential neighborhood was unexpected. Beyond a small ticketing area and gift shop, the navigation to the temple was straightforward. The elevated passageway provides a good vantage point into the excavated ruin.
The protective shelter over Tarxien Temple.
The signage at Tarxien Temple is excellent.
Outline of a typical chamber of the megalithic temple.
The temple ruin was accidentally discovered by a local farmer plowing his field in 1914, just a few years after the discovery of the Hypogeum. Fortunately, the farmer did the right thing by alerting Themistocles Zammit, the director of the National Museum who spearheaded works at Hypogeum. The entire project was undertaken with the utmost care and professional documentation. The discovery had a significant impact on fostering an indigenous Maltese identity. Even though there is no ancestral link between today’s Maltese and the early settlers, people here took pride in the island’s ancient roots and adapted them as their own.
From the elevated walkway, we could make out the overall layouts of the four temples. Each temple comprises two to three chambers, each consisting of two apses. Since this was our first visit to megalithic temples, we took our time to inspect every little nook and cranny. Eventually, the walkway led us to the ground level with the temple and brought us into the inner sanctum of the temple. Even though the temple’s stone roof has long gone, it is not difficult for anyone to reimagine the stone corbel roof. We all marveled at how much effort and physical energy must go into such a monumental construction.
Surveying the temple ruins.
A replica of the so-called “Fat Lady” statue; the original is now housed in the National Museum of Anthropology.
The megalithic pavement of the temple’s forecourt.
Dated to approximately 3,250 BC, the Tarxien complex consists of four separate temples of various sizes. Even though it may not be the biggest temple in Malta, Tarxien is noted for the quality of many artifacts uncovered here. The most important of them all was a standing figure of an obese lady. Estimated to be two meters high, it is often considered one of the world's earliest pieces of monumental sculpture. The presence of the so-called “fat ladies” of Malta is quite prevalent among the early dwellers of Malta. Famously, archaeologists recovered a tiny statue of a “sleeping fat lady” from Hypohium, which has since become Malta's beloved cultural icon.
The imageries of obese ladies are surprisingly commonplace in the so-called “temple culture” in Malta. Similar figurines known as “Venus figures” were found across the Upper Paleolithic world. Because of the accentuated feature of hips and thighs, archaeologists believe these figures are related to female fertility. But because these pre-historic people had no writing system, it is impossible to confirm the true meaning of these statues. Around the central chamber were also elaborate sculptural reliefs of symmetrical spirals and animals, the meaning of which is still not entirely understood to this day.
I definitely felt compelled to take a picture in front of this monumental entryway.
The carefully laid system of elevated walkways was impeccable.
Replica of the famous spiral relief at the threshold of the temple’s main entrance.
While many visitors may be disappointed with the presence of ultra-modern protective structures, I applaud how Malta looked after their national heritage. I recently saw a documentary on Pompeii and saw an archaeologist talking about how disappointed she was about the lack of protection in Pompeii. She cited tourism as the primary reason the Italian government opted not to protect their national heritage from erosion. After all, Instagram photos would look better without the superstructure overhead. Not only does the tent-like structure help shield the ruin from erosion, but it also prevents vegetation from taking over the site.
To protect many key artifacts from vandalism or theft, many original sculptures, such as the “obese lady” or the sculptured spirals, now reside at the National Museum of Archaeology. Distinguishable modern replicas are now placed onsite to provide the necessary context for visitors. Overall, we felt glad to pick Tarxien as our first megalithic temple to visit. It is large enough to give us a glimpse of the temple culture without being overwhelmed.
Mnajdra & Ħaġar Qim Temple, Malta
After a week in Malta, we found the southwestern coast of Malta to be the most beautiful. With such a high population density, visiting Malta’s countryside is a breath of fresh air. Among the popular attractions in the area is Blue Grotto. The turquoise water and the limestone cliffs are enticing. After taking a boat ride and a refreshing dip, it was only a four-minute drive to two major megalithic temples: Mnajdra and Ħaġar Qim Temple. Compared to the Tarxien site, they have a beautiful interpretive center/museum. The exhibits include historical artifacts recovered from the site and the many models demonstrating the speculated construction method.
Ħaġar Qim Temple.
The most important model in the exhibit illustrates the special alignment between the temples and the solar movement. Just like Ireland’s Newgrange, the temple is set up to allow the niches of the temple to be illuminated only on solstices and equinoxes. The configurations of these temples were further brought to life by a 3-D video presentation that tells of the conjectured history of this place. I was particularly intrigued by the fact that Malta was once a lush island back then, a far cry from today's barren landscape. It helped explain why ancient Maltese decided to settle here. It is equally fascinating that the temple ruins we see today were once buried underground through millennia of wind-swept sediment.
One of the numerous “Venus figures” discovered at Ħaġar Qim Temple.
The precision of these megalithic blocks is truly impressive.
It was a quick three-minute stroll from the museum to the Ħaġar Qim Temple. Like Tarxien, a protective superstructure has now fully covered the ruin here. Constructed between 3600 and 3200 B.C.E, this temple looks especially solid with a series of precise-looking block walls by the entrance. A massive forecourt in front of the main entrance further gave this temple an especially special presence in the landscape. A course of massive stone ledge seems to be an ideal place for gathering. Of course, that was purely conjectured on my part, and you could rest assured that the security guard would stop you from taking a seat there.
A ceremonial apse of Ħaġar Qim Temple.
The protective canopy creates an otherwordly atmosphere.
This is just about the most difficult way to device a doorway.
To my surprise, the interior of the temple is remarkably well-preserved. We could easily discern the shape of the apes and niches where religious statues are supposed to be located. The most curious element for me is a few doors carved out of thick stone slabs. Given that would be the most difficult way to create a doorway, I could only imagine these doors must hold some special religious meaning. Unlike Tarxien Temple, this temple is highly complex and comprises a central hall ringed with minor chambers. As is almost always the case, it was difficult to orient oneself given its construction's lack of sharp angle. A handy map was useful in understanding the relationship between the temple and the landscape.
Just a few minutes walk toward the ocean is another megalithic structure: Mnajdra Temple. Perched atop the limestone bluff overlooking the Mediterranean, it is arguably the most spectacularly situated temple in the country. Unfortunately for sightseers, the temple ruins here have also been protected by the same modern shelter. The configuration of Mnajdra Temple best illustrates the astronomical alignment of Maltese temples. The cloverleaf-shaped plan resembles the layout of the earlier periods compared to the nearby Ħaġar Qim Temple.
Walking down the path toward Mnajdra Temple.
As much as we enjoyed the beautiful surroundings, I would be the first to admit that all the temple ruins started to look a little alike after a while. Luckily, Mnajdra Temple is blessed with some of the most intricate sculptural reliefs. Among them, the most notable would be the so-called "calendar stone.” The ancient people of Malta recorded the weeks and days of various celestial cycles in stone. Although the calendar stone may not be as sophisticated as the Aztec one, it is nevertheless quite impressive given its age.
Ġgantija Temple, Gozo
My favorite megalithic temple in Malta is located on the island of Gozo, which is a short ferry ride away from the main island of Malta. Ġgantija, or “Giantess” in the Maltese language, is the country's largest of all megalithic temples. According to commonly believed local legends, this temple was constructed by a female giant while holding her baby in one arm. The child was supposed to be half-giant and half-human and was fed a strict diet of broad beans and honey. Most Maltese people believed the female giant built the temple as a fertility shrine. Such belief was bolstered by the fact that many sculptures with the symbol of childbirth were found on-site.
I am absolutely obsessed with the ultra-contemporary museum building.
Marker of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Unprotected ruins came as a surprise to us.
Because of its location on Gozo, Ġgantija sees only a fraction of visitors from major temples in Malta. However, its cultural significance was undisputed. Ġgantija was the first Maltese megalithic temple inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site listing. The government constructed a state-of-the-art museum, which is a cut above the one at other sites on the island of Malta. What makes Ġgantija special is its age. Built over 5,500 years ago, the temple is often regarded as the second oldest known manmade religious structure in the world. Indeed, it was a fact that many Maltese were proud to recite for visitors and integral to Malta’s national identity.
A lot of restoration works were underway.
Ġgantija Temple.
The setting of Ġgantija Temple is absolutely gorgeous.
As an architect, what interested me about this place was the fact that Ġgantija was a popular stop in the European “Grand Tour.” Among the prominent visitors here was Swiss architect Le Corbusier, a titan of modernist architecture in the 20th century. Like many of his contemporaries, he has always been interested in the origin of architecture. For Corbisier, the neolithic structure of the Mediterranean spoke to him about the founding myth of architecture:
“I did this, I gave life to a stone doorway like this one in my youth at La-Chaux-de-Fonds. The man that made this door is my brother across time.”
Personally, I was delighted to learn that Ġgantija inspired the design of Notre-Dame du Haut in Ronchamp, France. For anyone familiar with his body of work, it is evident that this church was a radical departure from Le Corbusier's Five Points of Architecture, as embodied in Villa Savoye, arguably his most famous design and contribution to modernism. Ronchamp has none of his strict rules of architectural rationality. Instead, the architect explores the mysticism and the origin of primitive architecture. I could imagine what an impact Ġgantija’s age and simplicity could have on Le Corbusier. It must have been liberating for him to discover a new architectural language so far removed from the modern movement. Our visit to Ġgantija only fueled my burning desire to visit Ronchamp soon.
Ġgantija Temple.
One of the numerous ceremonial niches at Ġgantija.
As far as the experiential is concerned, Ġgantija is the most pleasant megalithic temple we visited. Despite being adjacent to a residential neighborhood, the temple was set among a beautifully landscaped park, which overlooks Gozo’s countryside. For some unknown reasons, Ġgantija remained unprotected from the exposed weather and sun. I must admit that it makes this temple easily ruin the most photogenic in Malta. After all, the temple's design is intrinsically connected to celestial movements. But perhaps what makes this place especially pleasant is the solitude we experience during our visit.
