Buġibba Temple is a megalithic temple on the border of Buġibba and Qawra towns, limits of

St. Paul's Bay St. Paul's Bay ( mt, San Pawl il-Baħar) is a town in the Northern Region of Malta, sixteen kilometres () northwest of the capital Valletta. Saint Paul's Bay is the largest town in the Northern Region and the seat of the Northern Regional Comm ...

, Malta. A hotel was built on the grounds of the temple.

Site

The temple is located a short distance from the coast, between Buġibba and Qawra 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

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 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. 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