Monday, July 20, 2009

il- Ggantija - Gozo



Ġgantija is a Neolithic, megalithic temple complex on the island of Gozo. The Ġgantija temples are the earliest of a series of megalithic temples in Malta. Their makers erected the two Ġgantija temples during the Neolithic Age (c. 3600-2500 BC), which makes these temples more than 5500 years old and some of the world's oldest man made religious structures. Together with other similar structures, these have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Megalithic Temples of Malta. They are more than 1000 years older than Stonehenge. Originally the temples had roofs. The precise purpose for which they were built is still a mystery, although they are believed to have been places of worship.

The site consists of two separate temples: the South Temple (3600 BC) and the North Temple (3000 BC). The Temples were excavated in 1826.

3 comments:

Rosemildo Sales Furtado said...

Olá amigo! O teu espaço é muito bonito, com belas fotos, porém se colocasses um tradutor ficaria mais fácil para entender e comentar.

Abraços,

Furtado.

Suki said...

The Ggantija Temple complex could very well lose its UNESCO World Heritage Site status soon due to controversial three-storey building development which is being carried out very close to the temples. It's a pity that most building contractors do not appreciate the historical value of a place.

Dina said...

Zen, I was there this summer and I thought how beautiful this structure is considering the time it was build. It will be a great dissapointment if they build close to them and also yes it will loose it's imposing strength. No appreciation is left when it comes to buildings on our island!! It's just money money money and who cares about the lovely old buildings that Malta has!!!! What a pity!!