Mnajdra
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The Mnajdra temple grouping lies on the southern coast of Malta, a small island located directly south of Italy in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. It is a complex of three Neolithic temples surrounding an oval courtyard, the oldest having been built during the Ġgantija phase (3600-3200 BCE), while the other two date from the early and mid Tarxien phase (3150-2500 BCE). These temples are located approximately 500m from another temple site, that of Ħaġar Qim, but unlike Ħaġar Qim, which is built of soft globigerina limestone, Mnajdra is made of the much harder coralline limestone, these two choices representing the type of stone found directly at the two building sites. The main structural systems used in the temples are corbelling, done with smaller stones, and post-and-lintel constructions made of large slabs of the limestone.
The oldest temple is a three-apsed building, the doorway of which is formed by a hole cut into a large piece of limestone set upright similar to other megalithic doorways in Malta. This temple appears to originally have had a vaulted ceiling, but only the bases of the ceiling now remain atop the walls. The most impressive of the three temples is that from the early Tarxien phase, which is located on the lowest elevation of the three. It has a large forecourt containing stone benches, an entrance passage covered by horizontal slabs, one of which has survived, and the remains of a possibly domed roof. This temple is also decorated with spiral carvings and indentations as well as windows into smaller rooms and a window out onto an arrangement of stones. The third temple is younger than the other two and was built in the space between them. It is set on a higher level and is formed of slabs topped by horizontal courses.
Although there are no written records to indicate the purpose of these structures, their usage as temples has been inferred from ceremonial objects found within, as well as animal bones and rope holes possibly used to constrain animal sacrifices. In addition, the lowest temple is astronomically aligned such that on the equinoxes, sunlight passes through the main doorway and lights up the major axis and on the solstices sunlight illuminates the edges of megaliths to the left and right of this doorway. We can conclude that these structures were not used as tombs because they contain no human remains.
The Mnajdra temples of Malta are of architectural interest for a number of reasons. They are of a similar time period and use similar structural systems as other European megalith constructions, but also differ in a number of interesting ways. The temples contain “furniture” such as stone benches and tables that give clues as to their use. The third temple is possibly the best example of typically Maltese megalithic architecture, including the use of cut-out doorways, rather than post-and-lintel entrances, and the intricate indentation carving indicative of the island. In addition, many artifacts were recovered from within the temples as well as from Ħaġar Qim, suggesting that these temples were used for religious purposes, perhaps to heal illness and/or to promote fertility. These temples increase our understanding of the lives of the prehistoric inhabitants of Malta as well as adding to our general knowledge of European architectural history.
