Another of the megalithic structures in Malta is the Hagar Qim Temples and the adjacent Mnajdra Temples. These megalithic temples are among the oldest ancient structures in the world. Protected in 1992 by UNESCO, Hagar Qim and Mnajdra were built using limestone, which is found on most of the island of Malta.
When you enter the visitor center, you are first shown a 4D movie about the buildings you are about to visit. Thus, we start our tour with an idea of what is what. Then we go to the rooms that are visited as a museum. First of all, there are models of the temples in the museum. When you press the button next to the interactively designed models, you can see the angles at which the sun’s rays enter the temples. While the structures were being built, it was planned that the sun’s rays would pass directly through the center on the equinox dates of March 21 and September 21, and through a specially opened hole on December 21 and June 21.
In the museum, there are some artifacts excavated from the temple that must be seen. These artifacts are a fat human figure that is not clear whether it is a man or a woman and a concrete slab used as a decorative element.
When we think about the period in which the temples were built, we wonder how rocks weighing tons were brought here. There is an experiment for this in the museum. If the floor of an object of the same mass is flat, it is difficult to pull it, but if there are other small round objects on the floor, it is much easier to pull the object.
Hagar Qim Temples
We leave the museum and head towards the temple 120 meters away. Hagar Qim, called megalithic because it is built of large stones, literally means Standing Stones. Hagar Qim is the first temple you will encounter after passing the visitor center. Covered by a tent, the temple is thought to have originally had a stone roof, but the roof has long since been demolished.
Since 2009, Hagar Qim, covered by a tent, is located near the town of Qrendi in the south of the island of Malta. Along with the main temple built between 3600 and 3200 BC, there are 3 structures that were added later.
Mnajdra Temples
When you continue 500 meters further from Hagar Qim, we come across another temple, Mnajdra. Like Hagar Qim, Mnajdra Temples are closer to the sea and therefore closer to the cliff. Just like Hagar Qim, Mnajdra also overlooks Filfla, Malta’s 4th largest island.
