Malta – Day 5 – Tarxien Temples and Hypogeum

I have always had a keen interest in ancient cultures and archaeology, and Yayoi loves ancient buildings and monuments (she is particularly interested in seeing World Heritage sites), so we could not come to Malta without visiting the Tarxien Temples or the Hypogeum, which are said to date from around 3600 BC!

3600 BC. Think about it. Older than the Pyramids of Egypt. Older than Teotihuacan. Older than Knossos. Older than Stonehenge. There are places in little Malta that are older than all of these. Mind boggling!

We took a bus from Valletta to Paola, the town of the Tarxien Temples and the Hypogeum. The Tarxien Temples are just a short walk from the bus stop.

Apart from their age, Tarxien Temples are famous for their carvings of animals in relief and numerous spiral patterns.

This altar stone is probably proof of the people at Tarxien practising ritual animal sacrifice

If you look closely, you can just make out the shape of a bull drawn on the wall of the temple

Entry to the Tarxien Temples is so cheap, it is ridiculous, and the staff are incredibly friendly – they tried out a few phrases of Japanese with my wife, which was very funny. Please go there and help UNESCO and Heritage Malta protect the Tarxien Temples and help them promote education of this wonderful place.

From the Tarxien Temples, we wandered down the road to the Hypogeum. Be sure to book before you go! Due to the effect of carbon dioxide on the walls of the Hypogeum, only 80 people are allowed in each day, and only ten people are allowed in each hour. Tickets go quickly, so book a few weeks in advance of your holiday to Malta. You can buy tickets for the Hypogeum from the Heritage Malta website.

Unfortunately, I have no photos of the Hypogeum – no photos allowed – but the place is truly amazing.  Indescribable, really.

Accidentally discovered in 1902 when laying the foundations for houses, the Hypogeum is an underground temple / necropolis. It is on three levels, with numerous passages and chambers hewn out of the rock, and it is deceptively large. What is particularly amazing is that the tools to create these chambers were stone – it must have taken ages! The walls of some chambers are extremely smooth. The workmanship is incredible.

One thing of particular note is that the Hypogeum is a temple in the negative. You can see how a temple above ground – such as Stonehenge or Tarxien – should have looked if it weren’t for damage caused by earthquakes or humans. Quite revealing!

The Hypogeum is one of the best places I have ever visited. Go there. It is amazing!

We finished day 5 with a wander around Paola, stopping to take some photos of the huge Church of Christ the King before heading back to the hotel for a quick swim before dinner.

if you look closely, you can see Yayoi hiding behind one of the pillars!

Tags: Archaeology, Hypogeum, Malta, Paola, Tarxien, Temple, Travel, UNESCO, World Heritage