7 stops
Malta temples
Malta's temples and rock-cut sanctuaries, from the earliest ones on Gozo to the southern complexes and an underground Hypogeum.
Stop 1
Ġgantija
c. 3800–2000 BCEArtefact styleEstimated
A Neolithic temple complex on Gozo whose two side-by-side temples are the earliest of the Megalithic Temples of Malta; the larger rises 6 metres and once carried plaster.
Stop 2
Xagħra Stone Circle
c. 4100–2400 BCE
A Neolithic funerary complex of natural caves inside a walled enclosure on Gozo, where about 220,000 human bones of 450 to 800 individuals were uncovered; it is not accessible to the public.
Stop 3
Ħaġar Qim
c. 3600–3200 BCEArtefact styleEstimated
A Ġgantija phase temple complex on the southern edge of Malta whose facade carries the largest stone used in Maltese megalithic architecture, weighing 57 tons.
Stop 4
Mnajdra
c. 4000–3000 BCEStated by the sourceEstimated
A complex of three conjoined temples about 497 metres from Ħaġar Qim, built of coralline limestone, whose lowest temple is aligned so that equinox sunlight runs along its main axis.
Stop 5
Għar Dalam
c. 5200 BCEType comparisonTypical for this type
A 144-metre cave on the outskirts of Birżebbuġa that gave its name to the early Neolithic phase of Maltese prehistory and holds animal remains from the Pleistocene and Holocene epochs.
Stop 6
Tarxien Temples
c. 3450–3350 BCEStated by the sourceEstimated
An archaeological complex of four prehistoric structures in Tarxien, dated to about 3400 BC, whose carved slabs and reliefs of domestic animals were moved indoors for protection.
Stop 7
Hypogeum of Ħal Saflieni
c. 4000–3000 BCEArtefact styleEstimated
A Neolithic rock-cut complex of three superimposed levels in Paola, thought to be a sanctuary and necropolis, where the remains of more than 7,000 people are documented.