Buġibba Temple is a
megalithic temple on the border of
Buġibba
Buġibba (English pronunciation: ) is a zone within St. Paul's Bay in the Northern Region, Malta. It is situated adjacent to Qawra, and it is a popular tourist resort, containing numerous hotels, restaurants, pubs, clubs, and a casino.
History
D ...
and
Qawra
Qawra ( mt, Il-Qawra, ) is a zone within St. Paul's Bay in the Northern Region, Malta, Northern Region, Malta. It is located close to Buġibba and Salina, Malta, Salina, and it is a popular tourist resort, containing many hotels and restaurants.
...
towns, limits of
St. Paul's Bay,
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 ...
. A hotel was built on the grounds of the temple.
Site
The temple is located a short distance from the coast, between
Buġibba
Buġibba (English pronunciation: ) is a zone within St. Paul's Bay in the Northern Region, Malta. It is situated adjacent to Qawra, and it is a popular tourist resort, containing numerous hotels, restaurants, pubs, clubs, and a casino.
History
D ...
and
Qawra
Qawra ( mt, Il-Qawra, ) is a zone within St. Paul's Bay in the Northern Region, Malta, Northern Region, Malta. It is located close to Buġibba and Salina, Malta, Salina, and it is a popular tourist resort, containing many hotels and restaurants.
...
Point. It was built during the
Tarxien phase of Maltese prehistory. The temple is quite small, and part of its coralline limestone façade can still be seen. From the trilithon entrance, a corridor leads to a central area which contains three apses. Part of the temple's floor has also survived at the back of the site.
The rest of the structure was destroyed over the years, as the area was leveled due to being used for agricultural purposes.
Excavations and recent history
![Yana Gorshkova - Bugibba Temple](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/Yana_Gorshkova_-_Bugibba_Temple.jpg)
The Buġibba Temple was discovered by Maltese archaeologist
Themistocles Zammit
Sir Themistocles "Temi" Zammit (or Żammit; 30 September 1864 – 2 November 1935) was a Maltese archaeologist and historian, professor of chemistry, medical doctor, researcher and writer. He served as Rector (1920–26) of the Royal Univer ...
in the 1920s, when he discovered large stones in a field close to
Qawra
Qawra ( mt, Il-Qawra, ) is a zone within St. Paul's Bay in the Northern Region, Malta, Northern Region, Malta. It is located close to Buġibba and Salina, Malta, Salina, and it is a popular tourist resort, containing many hotels and restaurants.
...
Point. These remains were included on the Antiquities List of 1925, as "the megalithic remains on the side of the road to Qawra point". The temple was excavated in 1928 by Zammit and L. J. Upton Way, and was again surveyed in 1952. Two years later, in 1954, some minor excavations were made to ascertain the chronology of the temple.
During the excavations, two decorated stone blocks were found. One is a carved square block that was an altar, and the other is a rectangular block with carved fish on two of its faces. These blocks are now in the
National Museum of Archaeology in
Valletta
Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an administrative unit and capital of Malta. Located on the main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, its population within administrative limits in 2014 wa ...
.
The temple's capstone was also replaced in modern times.
Eventually, the Dolmen Resort Hotel was built around the temple, which was incorporated into the grounds of the hotel close to its swimming pools.
References
External links
National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bugibba Temple
Megalithic Temples of Malta
Neolithic sites
National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands
Buildings and structures in St. Paul's Bay