Megalithic Temples of Malta

The Megalithic Temples of Malta are the oldest free-standing structures on Earth, even older than the Pyramids. Eleven prehistoric monuments, of which seven are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, were built during three distinct time periods between 5000BC and 700BC approximately. Archaeologists believe that these megalithic complexes are the result of local innovations in a process of cultural evolution. This led to the building of several temples of the Ġgantija phase (3600-3000 BC), culminating in the large Tarxien temple complex, which remained in use until 2500 BC. After this date, the temple building culture disappeared.

The Ġgantija temples (two sites) were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980. In 1992, the UNESCO Committee further extended the existing listing to include five other megalithic temple sites. These are Ħaġar Qim (in Qrendi), Mnajdra (in Qrendi), Ta' Ħaġrat Temples (in Mġarr), Skorba Temples (in Żebbiegħ) and Tarxien Temples (in Tarxien). Nowadays, the sites are managed by Heritage Malta, while ownership of the surrounding lands varies from site to site.

Other sites apart from those included in the UNESCO World Heritage list include Borġ in-Nadur (in Birżebbuġa), Kordin III, Il-Bidni, Xemxija Temple, Hal Ginwi Temples, Tal-Quadi (fr, ru), Ta' Marżiena, Ta' Raddiena, L-Imramma Temple, Buggiba, Santa Verna, Tas-Silġ (in Żejtun) and a complex network of tracks gouged in the rock Misraħ Għar il-Kbir (in Dingli) and other.