The Ta' Ħaġrat () temples in

Mġarr Mġarr ( mt, L-Imġarr), formerly known as ''Mgiarro'', is a village in the Northern Region of Malta. Mġarr is a typical rural village situated in an isolated region, west of Mosta. It is surrounded with rich farmland and vineyards. Many of it ...

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

is recognized as a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

, along with several other Megalithic temples. They are amongst the world's oldest religious sites. The larger Ta' Ħaġrat

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

dates from the Ġgantija phase (3600–3200 BC); the smaller is dated to the

Saflieni phase The Saflieni phase is one of the eleven phases of Maltese prehistory, the fourth of five in the middle or Temple period. It is named for the Ħal-Saflieni Hypogeum, an underground temple complex now recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNE ...

(3300–3000 BC).

Location

Ta' Ħaġrat is on the eastern outskirts of the village of

, roughly one kilometer from the Ta' Skorba temples. Characteristics of the Ta' Ħaġrat façade resemble those in the Ta' Skorba complex.

Temple complex

The excavation of pottery deposits show that a village stood on the site and predates the temples themselves. This early pottery is dated to the Mġarr phase (3800-3600 BC). Ta' Ħaġrat is built out of lower coralline limestone, the oldest exposed rock in the Maltese Islands. The complex contains two adjacent temples. The smaller temple abuts the major one on the northern side. The two parts are less regularly planned and smaller in size than many of the other neolithic temples in Malta. Unlike other megalithic temples in Malta no decorated blocks were discovered; however a number of artifacts were found. Perhaps most intriguing is a scale model of a temple, sculpted in globigerina limestone. The model is roofed and shows the typical structure of a Maltese temple including a trilithon façade, narrow-broad walling technique and upper layers of horizontal corbelling.

Major temple

The Ġgantija phase temple is typically

trefoil A trefoil () is a graphic form composed of the outline of three overlapping rings, used in architecture and Christian symbolism, among other areas. The term is also applied to other symbols with a threefold shape. A similar shape with four ring ...

, with a concave façade opening onto a spacious semicircular forecourt. The façade contains a monumental doorway in the center and a bench at its base. Two steps lead up to the main entrance and a corridor flanked by upright

megalith A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. There are over 35,000 in Europe alone, located widely from Sweden to the Mediterranean sea. The ...

s of coralline limestone. The corridor leads into a central torba (a cement-like material) court, radiating three semi-circular chambers. These were partially walled off at some time in the Saflieni phase; pottery shards were recovered from the internal packing of this wall. The apses are constructed with roughly-hewn stone walls and have a rock floor. Corbelling visible on the walls of the apses suggest that the temple was roofed. A small sculptured temple was discovered here.

Minor temple

The

temple rests to the north and is six and a half meters long. It is entered through the eastern apse of the larger temple. Smaller stones have been used in its construction and it exhibits irregularities in design considered archaic or provincial.

Excavation

The site was excavated between 1923 and 1926 by Sir Temi Zammit, then Director of Museums. The site was again excavated by

John Davies Evans John Davies Evans (22 January 1925 – 4 July 2011) was an English archaeologist and academic known for his research into the prehistory of the Mediterranean, and especially the prehistoric cultures of Malta. He was a Director of the Institute ...

in 1954, and British archaeologist David H. Trump accurately dated the complex in the 1961 excavation. The temple was included on the Antiquities List of 1925.

Restoration

Parts of the façade and doorway were reconstructed in 1937.

References

External links

National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands
{{European megaliths World Heritage Sites in Malta Megalithic Temples of Malta Neolithic sites Mġarr National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands Sites managed by Heritage Malta