Mnajdra

Mnajdra is a megalithic temple complex on the southern coast of the Mediterranean island of Malta, approximately 497 metres (544 yd) from the Ħaġar Qim megalithic complex. It was built around the fourth millennium BCE, and the Megalithic Temples of Malta are among the most ancient religious sites on Earth. In 1992 UNESCO recognized Mnajdra and four other Maltese megalithic structures as World Heritage Sites. In 2009 work was completed on a protective tent.

Mnajdra is made of coralline limestone, which is much harder than the soft globigerina limestone of Ħaġar Qim. The main structural systems are corbelling with smaller stones and post and lintel construction using large slabs. The cloverleaf plan appears more regular than that of Ħagar Qim. The complex consists of three temples, conjoined but not connected: the upper, middle, and lower.

The upper temple is the oldest and dates to the Ġgantija phase (3600-3200 BC); it has three apses, and its pillar-stones are decorated with pitmarks drilled in horizontal rows. The middle temple was built, or possibly rebuilt, in the late Tarxien phase (3150 – 2500 BC), and its main doorway is a hole cut into a large upright limestone. The lowest temple, from the early Tarxien phase, is the most impressive: it has a large forecourt with stone benches, an entrance passage covered by horizontal slabs, spiral carvings and indentations, and windows.

The lowest temple is astronomically aligned. On the vernal and autumnal equinox sunlight passes through the main doorway and lights up the major axis, and on the solstices it illuminates the edges of megaliths to either side. No written records give the purpose of the structures, but sacrificial flint knives, rope holes possibly used to restrain animals, and animal bones suggest ceremonial use, perhaps to heal illness or promote fertility. No human remains were found, so they were not tombs. One stone has drilled holes in rows that can be linked to periods of the moon.

Excavations were directed by J.G. Vance in 1840, and Albert Mayr made the first accurate plan in 1901. Mnajdra was included on the Antiquities List of 1925. On 13 April 2001 at least three people armed with crowbars toppled or broke about 60 megaliths and inscribed graffiti on them, an attack UNESCO called the worst act of vandalism ever committed on the island of Malta. The temples were restored and reopened to the public in 2002. They appear on the 1, 2 and 5 cent Maltese euro coins.

Mnajdra is made of coralline limestone, which is much harder than the soft globigerina limestone of Ħaġar Qim. The main structural systems used in the temples are corbelling with smaller stones, and post and lintel construction using large slabs of limestone.

The cloverleaf plan of Mnajdra appears more regular than that of Ħagar Qim, and seems reminiscent of the earlier complex at Ġgantija. The prehistoric structure consists of three temples, conjoined, but not connected: the upper, middle, and lower.

The upper temple is the oldest structure in the Mnajdra complex and dates to the Ġgantija phase (3600-3200 BC). It is a three-apse building, the central apse opening blocked by a low screen wall. The pillar-stones were decorated with pitmarks drilled in horizontal rows on the inner surface.

The middle temple was built (or possibly rebuilt) in the late Tarxien phase (3150 – 2500 BC), the main central doorway of which is formed by a hole cut into a large piece of limestone set upright, a type of construction typical of other megalithic doorways in Malta. This temple appears originally to have had a vaulted ceiling, but only the base of the ceiling now remain on top of the walls and, in fact, is the most recent structure. It is formed of slabs topped by horizontal courses.

The lowest temple, built in the early Tarxien phase, is the most impressive and possibly the best example of Maltese megalithic architecture. It has a large forecourt containing stone benches, an entrance passage covered by horizontal slabs, one of which has survived, and the remains of a possibly domed roof. The temple is decorated with spiral carvings and indentations, and pierced by windows, some into smaller rooms and one onto an arrangement of stones.