Experience great wonders in Malta inscribed on the World`s Heritage List, UNESCO!

The Megalithic Temples of Malta
Seven megalithic temples are found on the islands of Malta and Gozo. According to UNESCO, the two temples of Ggantija on the island of Gozo are characterized for their gigantic Bronze Age structures.

On the island of Malta, the temples of Hagar Qim, Mnajdra and Tarxien are unique architectural masterpieces, given the limited resources available to their builders.

The Ta'Hagrat and Skorba complexes show how the tradition of temple-building was handed down in Malta.

In 1992 the committee for World Heritage, UNESCO, extended the existing cultural property, the Temple of Ggantija, to include the five prehistoric temples situated on the islands of Malta and Gozo and to rename the property as "The Megalithic Temples of Malta".

On 21 June this summer (2006) Malta Heritage will organise exiting tours to the temples: Summer Solstice and Temples Heritage Trail. These special tours are offered on the occasion of the Summer Solstice, at the Mnajdra and Hagar Qim temples, Qrendi. The visitors will get the opportunity to observe the Summer Solstice Temple Phenomenon at one of these sites and will then go on to visit Skorba and Ta Hagrat Temples, Mgarr. For more information: Malta Heritage - Summer Solstice.

Hal Saflieni Hypogeum 
This ancient wonder was inscripted in 1980. The Hypogeum is an enormous subterranean structure excavated c. 2500 B.C., using cyclopean rigging to lift huge blocks of coralline limestone. Perhaps originally a sanctuary, it became a necropolis in prehistoric times. It`s located in Commune of Paola, Island of Malta.

The City of Valetta
It was inscripted in 1980. The capital of Malta is inextricably linked to the history of the military and charitable Order of St John of Jerusalem. It was ruled successively by the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs and the Order of the Knights of St John. Valletta's 320 monuments, all within an area of 55 ha, make it one of the most concentrated historic areas in the world.

There are so many other ancient wonders and mysteries in the Maltese islands which are not inscribed on the World Heritage List. To find more about it, you can read articles and reports on our global travel guide Travel Explorations.

Stein Morten Lund, 17 May 2006

Additional information

UNESCO -the World Heritage Centre:
It`s aim is to rais awareness of the need for heritage preservation around the world. According to UNESCO`s website, World Heritage sites belong to all the peoples of the world, irrespective of the territory on which they are located.

The World Heritage List includes 812 properties forming part of the cultural and natural heritage which the World Heritage Committee considers as having outstanding universal value. These include 628 cultural, 160 natural and 24 mixed properties in 137 States Parties.

The World Heritage List was established under terms of The Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage adopted in November 1972 at the 17th General Conference of UNESCO.

The Convention states that a World Heritage Committee will establish, keep up-to-date and publish a World Heritage List of cultural and natural properties, submitted by the States Parties and considered to be of outstanding universal value.

The idea of combining conservation of cultural sites with those of nature comes from the United States of America. A White House Conference in Washington, D.C., in 1965 called for a "World Heritage Trust" that would stimulate international cooperation to protect ‘the world's superb natural and scenic areas and historic sites for the present and the future of the entire world citizenry.

Heritage Malta:
It`s the national agency of the Government of Malta set up in 2002 under the provisions of the Cultural Heritage Act and entrusted with the management of national museums and heritage sites and their collections in Malta and Gozo, including seven UNESCO world heritage sites. Read more on its website: www.HeritageMalta.org.