DK Travel : Malta & Gozo : Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra Temples

Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra Temples

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These ancient temples of creamy limestone, built during the Ġgantija and Tarxien eras (3600–3200 and 3150–2500 BC respectively), are set on a cliff-top in one of the most beautiful and unspoilt regions of Malta. Ħaġar Qim, unique and complex in design, is also remarkable for its beautiful recovered artifacts. Mnajdra, closer to the cliff-edge, is even more spectacular, particularly in spring surrounded by fields of scarlet poppies. Mnajdra’s extraordinary astronomical alignments have led to it being called “a calendar in stone”.
Special trips are organized by Heritage Malta four times a year (on the solstices and equinoxes) to see the sun’s light strike the individual stones in Mnajdra. Book early as there’s a very long waiting list. The only option for refreshments here is the simple café by the car park. The “Venus of Malta” and many other key artifacts are held at the National Museum of Archaeology, Valletta More on Maltese Temples and Ancient Sites

Top 10 Features

1. Main Entrance, Ħaġar Qim

1. Main Entrance, Ħaġar Qim

Ħaġar Qim’s dramatic main entrance remains surprisingly intact, its large honey-coloured stones neatly interlocking.
2. Decorative Objects, Ħaġar Qim

The most beautiful object found at Ħaġar Qim is the “Venus of Malta”, a fertility goddess statue. It is also notable for a pair of finely decorated stone altars, unique in Malta, with an elaborate pitted design.
3. Gigantic Stone, Ħaġar Qim

3. Gigantic Stone, Ħaġar Qim

The biggest stone in the complex – technically called an “orthostat” – is just to the right of the main entrance. It measures a huge 21 sq m (220 sq ft) and weighs 20 tonnes – one of the largest found in any Maltese temple.
4. External Altar, Ħaġar Qim

4. External Altar, Ħaġar Qim

Just beyond the gigantic stone is an exterior shrine and oracle hole. It has been suggested that the central column and tapered block are male and female fertility symbols.
5. Misqa Tanks

As you walk from Ħaġar Qim to Mnajdra, you pass a small rocky plateau on the brow of the hill. It is pocked with bell-shaped water tanks, probably carved out of the rock in order to provide the nearby temples with water.
6. Small Temple, Mnajdra

6. Small Temple, Mnajdra

Almost nothing survives of Mnajdra’s oldest temple, which dates from the Ġgantija era (see Ġgantija, Xagħra, Gozo ). It is one of the oldest free-standing monuments in the world, but there is little to see besides some stones with pitted decoration.
7. Façade of South Temple, Mnajdra

7. Façade of South Temple, Mnajdra

The South Temple is the best preserved in all Malta. The façade has a long exterior bench, which suggests that outdoor rituals took place in the courtyard in front.
8. Porthole Niche, South Temple, Mnajdra

The porthole niche is one of the finest pieces of original stonework still in situ in Malta’s temples. It is framed by three stones with pitted designs.
9. Carving of Temple Façade, Central Temple, Mnajdra

9. Carving of Temple Façade, Central Temple, Mnajdra

The most recent of the three, the Central Temple was built between the two existing temples. One of its huge orthostats shows a carved representation of a temple façade – perhaps an early architectural plan.
10. Islet of Filfla

10. Islet of Filfla

This tiny offshore islet is now a wildlife reserve, but it retains its ancient mystique. It may have had special ritual significance for the temple-builders.

Practical Information

Special trips are organized by Heritage Malta four times a year (on the solstices and equinoxes) to see the sun’s light strike the individual stones in Mnajdra. Book early as there’s a very long waiting list. The only option for refreshments here is the simple café by the car park. Triq Ħaġar Qim, beyond Qrendi 2142 4231 Open daily 9am–4:30pm Adm Lm2 (single temple), Lm3 (both temples) (students Lm1, Lm2; children 5–12 yrs 50c, Lm1) www.heritagemalta.org