Buġibba Temple

Buġibba Temple

Buġibba Temple with the Dolmen Resort Hotel to the right
Shown within Malta
Location Buġibba, St. Paul's Bay, Malta
Coordinates 35°57′17″N 14°25′5.2″E / 35.95472°N 14.418111°E / 35.95472; 14.418111Coordinates: 35°57′17″N 14°25′5.2″E / 35.95472°N 14.418111°E / 35.95472; 14.418111
Type Temple
Part of Megalithic Temples of Malta
History
Material Limestone
Founded c.3150–2500 BC
Periods Tarxien phase
Site notes
Excavation dates 1928–1954
Archaeologists Themistocles Zammit
L. J. Upton Way
Condition Ruins
Public access Yes

Buġibba Temple is a megalithic temple in Buġibba, limits of St. Paul's Bay, Malta. It is located in the grounds of the Dolmen Resort Hotel.

Site

The temple is located a short distance from the coast, between Buġibba and Qawra Point. It was built during the Tarxien phase of Maltese prehistory. The temple is quite small, and part of its coralline limestone façade can still be seen. From the trilithon entrance, a corridor leads to a central area which contains three apses. Part of the temple's floor has also survived at the back of the site.[1]

The rest of the structure was destroyed over the years, as the area was leveled due to being used for agricultural purposes.

Excavations and recent history

Buġibba Temple was discovered by the Maltese archaeologist Themistocles Zammit in the 1920s, when he discovered large stones in a field close to Qawra Point. The temple was excavated in 1928 by Zammit and L. J. Upton Way,[2] and was again surveyed in 1952. Two years later, in 1954, some minor excavations were made to ascertain the chronology of the temple.

During the excavations, two decorated stone blocks were found. One is a carved square block that was an altar, and the other is a rectangular block with carved fish on two of its faces. These blocks are now in the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta.[3]

The temple's capstone was also replaced in modern times.

Eventually, the Dolmen Resort Hotel was built around the temple, which was incorporated into the grounds of the hotel close to its swimming pools.

References

  1. ↑ "Buggiba Ancient Temple". megalithic.co.uk. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  2. ↑ "Buġibba". web.infinito.it. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  3. ↑ "Bugibba Temple" (PDF). National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands. Retrieved 19 February 2015.

External links

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