Hagar Qim & Mnajdra

Another day using our bus passes, this time to the ancient temples of Hagar Qim and Mnajdra, first excavated in 1839 and dating from between 3600 and 3200 BC. 

Firstly Hagar Qim, now covered with a dome to protect it from weather extremes

The ancient Maltese had a thing about obese people...

...as can also be seen in the visitors' centre.

We couldn't help but think about our Stonehenge and the ancient stones in Brittany

Amazingly this ancient soul wasn't about...

...when this stone was moved into place.

Between the two sites a very quiet walkway...

...with a view over the Tal-Ħamrija Coastal Tower.  Did I mention weather extremes?

Now at the Mnajdra Temple...

...and a plan of its layout. The temple is aligned to mark the position of sunrise for the equinoxes and solstices. Clever people, eh?

Tine's not very tall but she does help with the scale here. (She is very strong though!)

Many of the rocks are decorated with drill holes

Another excellent visit, finished off by a 4D explanation of how the temples were probably constructed. The 4th Dimension was water sprayed on the audience in one scene!