The Ta' Ħaġrat () temples in

Mġarr Mġarr (), formerly known as ''Mgiarro'', is a village in the Northern Region of Malta. Mġarr is a rural village, isolated from nearby towns and cities. Mġarr lies west of Mosta and is surrounded by farmland and vineyards. Many of the 4,840 ...

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

are recognized as a

UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

, 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 place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

dates from the

Ġgantija phase Ġgantija (; "place of giants") is a megalithic temple complex from the Neolithic era (–2500 BC), on the Mediterranean island of Gozo in Malta. The Ġgantija temples are the earliest of the Megalithic Temples of Malta and are older than the ...

(3600–3200 BC); the smaller temple 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, excavated in 1963. Characteristics of the Ta' Ħaġrat façade resemble those in the Ta' Skorba complex.

Temple complex

The excavation of pottery deposits shows 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 A megalith is a large Rock (geology), stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. More than 35,000 megalithic structures have been identified across Europe, ranging ...

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 A trilithon or trilith is a structure consisting of two large vertical stones (posts) supporting a third stone set horizontally across the top ( lintel). It is commonly used in the context of megalithic monuments. The most famous trilithons a ...

façade, narrow-broad walling technique and upper layers of horizontal

corbel In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal keyed into and projecting from a wall to carry a wikt:superincumbent, bearing weight, a type of bracket (architecture), bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in t ...

ling.

Major temple

The

temple is typically

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

, 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. More than 35,000 megalithic structures have been identified across Europe, ranging geographically f ...

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 model of a temple carved from globigerina limestone was discovered here in 1923.

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 Provincial may refer to: Government & Administration * Provincial capitals, an administrative sub-national capital of a country * Provincial city (disambiguation) * Provincial minister (disambiguation) * Provincial Secretary, a position in Canad ...

Excavation

The site was excavated between 1923 and 1926 by Sir

Temi 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 Univers ...

, 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
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ta' Hagrat Temple 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