Prehistoric Temples of Malta
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Prehistoric Ġgantija Temples of Malta Ħaġrat Tarxien Imnajdra Ħaġar Qim 5000 BC Arrival of the first people from Sicily. 3600 BC The people of Malta start building the prehistoric temples. 2500 BC The temple builders were replaced 700 BC by the Bronze Age people. Malta and Gozo were colonised by The prehistoric temples were the Phenionians. The introduction of abandoned. writing brought prehistory to an end. 1530 Arrival of the Knights of St John. After the Great Siege of 1565, the Knights built Valletta and many fortifications. 535 AD The Middle Ages kicked in. The Maltese islands fell under the control of leading Mediterranen powers like the Byzantines (Turkey), Arabs (North Africa) and the Normans (Sicily). 1964 The Maltese Islands Produced by © 2020 Heritage Malta Publishing All rights reserved in all countries. No parts of this publication may be become a sovereign state. reproduced or utilized in any form without the permission of the publisher. Ġgantija Temples Ġgantija Temples are located in Xagħra, Gozo. Here, two temples are found side by side, each with its own entrance. These temples are built out of very large stones. ‘Ġgantija’ is derived from the Maltese word ‘ġgant’ meaning ‘giant’ because it was believed that these temples were built by giants. However, the people who built them were just like us and only had simple stone tools. Their building began around 5600 years ago (3600 BC). The Ġgantija Temples are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ħaġrat Temples Ħaġrat Temples are located in Mġarr, Malta. Two temples are found side by side, each with its own entrance. The main temple entrance is built out of large stones. These are among the smallest prehistoric temples found on the Maltese islands. An interesting small stone model of a typical prehistoric temple was excavated from this site. These temples started being built around 5600 years ago (3600 BC). Ħaġrat Temples are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tarxien Temples These Temples are located in Tarxien. These four temples were built over hundreds of years and are very rich in sculptures. Here one may observe part of the largest prehistoric statue ever found on the Maltese Islands. This statue represents a fat person wearing a skirt. Many spirals and carvings of bulls, pigs and goats are also found. The building of these temples began around 5600 years ago (3600 BC). Tarxien Temples are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ħaġar Qim Temples Ħaġar Qim Temples are located close to Imnajdra Temples in the outskirts of the village of Qrendi. This group is made up of three separate buildings. The facade of the main temple is built from neatly cut stones and the walls also include a very large stone which weighs as much as a bus full of passengers. The statuette known as the ‘Venus of Malta’ was excavated from this site. These temples started to be built around 5600 years ago (3600 BC). Ħaġar Qim Temples are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Imnajdra Temples Imnajdra Temples are located close to Ħaġar Qim Temples in the outskirts of the village of Qrendi. This group has three separate temples set side by side and were built out of very large stones. Markings indicating the beginning of the seasons are found on the inside walls of one of these temples. One of the altars found here features on the Maltese Euro coins. The building of these temples began around 5600 years ago (3600 BC). Imnajdra Temples are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Word Search S P F D L O W E O S J P M S U U N E P R L O Z Q R E N D I N J H N W F T X A G Ħ R A P O H E A G P M E S O U C Ġ D E J E S R W Ħ N K I X S H C Y M K G X D A W F E E A T B H C C C K P F T A E V Z G I H K Ġ R D O E Q U Z E C S N E Y S W X I P A A P Y D F T A U T H T Y D F E B S S R N O S D F E C A R V I N G S G M T J Q C O A T V S T R P A J Z J Z Y O O B I E L A R E U B N A H A G O M N B R E M T R I L E K X M Ġ A R R P E V O Y O A X Ħ A Ġ R A T N P L G B T E A L J R I M N A J D R A Y S C G O N B B V M E I S P I R A L S S F P O U H A B O N C P S X Y P A S O O C L S R Y P M T I S O O J T E M P L E S K P D Q P X C M N T A Z U L C V E Z G P N D X ALTAR FACADE ENTRANCE CARVINGS ĠGANTIJA ĦAĠAR QIM ĦAĠRAT MĠARR IMNAJDRA PREHISTORY SEASONS SPIRALS STATUE STONE TOOLS TARXIEN TEMPLES QRENDI UNESCO VENUS XAGĦRA.