Mnajdra

• Address: Qrendi QRD 2502, Malta
• Phone: +356 2142 4231
• Website: www.heritagemalta.org
• Working hours: daily from 9 to 18

In sunny Malta, there are a lot of amazing and mysterious attractions , similar to which you will not find in the whole world. One of them is the excellent temple complex of Mnajdra. This place has become the oldest object on the island, therefore it is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A tour of the ruins of the ancient buildings will give you a lot of priceless knowledge, and the architecture and beauty of this place will take a weighty place in your memory.

Appearance and architecture

The ancient complex of Mnaydra temples appeared in Malta around the 4th millennium BC, but its ruins were discovered only in 1840 during archaeological excavations. Temples were located not far from another well-known complex, Hajar-Kim . If we compare these two great sights, then we can say that Mnajdra was built much more correctly and more reliably. From a bird's-eye view it is clear that the Mnajdra complex resembles a maple leaf, but the buildings themselves were made of blocks of coral limestone, which was considered to be the strongest in its time.

The Mnaydra complex consists of the ruins of three temples: the upper, middle and lower temples. All of them are located very close to each other, but each has its own entrance and carries a completely different purpose. Judging by the ruins, for convenience, the temples were interconnected by small transitions.

1. The upper temple of Mnaydra is considered the oldest not only in the complex, but also on the whole island. It was built around 3600 BC. About the purpose of this building, as well as other temples of the complex, it is difficult to speak, because in ancient manuscripts there is not a word about it. By the found artifacts, you can accurately determine that they did not have tombs. At the same time, ancient ritual implements, stone benches and small openings in the walls indicate that in their time religious ceremonies were held in them. The upper temple is a huge room with columns and remains of a vaulted ceiling. In it, the ruins of walls with carvings and the constructions of other rooms were preserved.
2. The middle temple appeared in the Mnaydra complex much later than the upper one. Despite the fact that it is the "youngest" in the territory, its ruins are the worst preserved. Today you can only look at the huge slabs with the remains of masonry at the top.
3. The lower complex of temple ruins is best preserved to our days. At one time near it was a large courtyard, and stone carved benches have survived to this day. From the building itself there were walls with holes for windows, entrance corridor slabs decorated with patterns, and a dome ceiling design.

After a time after the amazing discovery of the Mnajdra temple complex, all the objects were covered with a specially constructed canopy that protects the landmark from the further destructive influence of nature (sun, wind, etc.). Naturally, it does not fit into the general picture of one of the megalithic temples , but still gives many tourists the opportunity to touch and visit the walls of this amazing, oldest Malta landmark.

How to get there?

Getting to Mnaydra in Malta is very simple. In addition to specially organized sightseeing buses, this popular place is visited every day by the popular public transport in the country - minibuses. They dial passengers at the airport near Valletta and depart hourly from 8.00 to 16.00. The fare in them is 12 dollars, route №201.