 Ta' Ħaġrat | |
  Ta' Ħaġrat Location within Malta | |
| Location | Mġarr,Malta |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 35°55′07″N14°22′07″E / 35.9185°N 14.3686°E /35.9185; 14.3686 |
| Type | Temple |
| History | |
| Material | Limestone |
| Founded | c.3600 BC–c.3200 BC |
| Periods | Ġgantija phase Saflieni phase |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1923–1961 |
| Archaeologists | Themistocles Zammit John Davies Evans David H. Trump |
| Condition | Ruins |
| Ownership | Government of Malta |
| Management | Heritage Malta |
| Public access | Yes |
| Website | Heritage Malta |
UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
 Interactive map of Ta' Ħaġrat Temples | |
| Part of | Megalithic Temples of Malta |
| Criteria | Cultural: (iv) |
| Reference | 132ter-004 |
| Inscription | 1980 (4thSession) |
| Extensions | 1992, 2015 |
| Area | 0.154 ha (16,600 sq ft) |
TheTa' Ħaġrat ([taˈħad͡ʒrat]) temples inMġarr,Malta are recognized as aUNESCO World Heritage Site, along with several otherMegalithic temples.[1] They are amongst the world's oldestreligious sites.[2] The larger Ta' Ħaġrattemple dates from theĠgantija phase (3600–3200 BC);[3] the smaller temple is dated to theSaflieni phase (3300–3000 BC).[3]
Ta' Ħaġrat is on the eastern outskirts of the village ofMġarr, roughly one kilometer from theTa' Skorba temples, excavated in 1963.[4] Characteristics of the Ta' Ħaġrat façade resemble those in the Ta' Skorba complex.[3]
The excavation of pottery deposits shows that a village stood on the site and predates the temples themselves. This early pottery is dated to theMġarr phase (3800-3600 BC).[5]
Ta' Ħaġrat is built out oflower coralline limestone, the oldest exposed rock in the Maltese Islands.[6] The complex contains two adjacent temples.[3] The smaller temple abuts the major one on the northern side.
The two parts are less regularly planned and smaller in size than many of the otherneolithic temples in Malta.[7] Unlike othermegalithic temples in Malta no decorated blocks were discovered; however a number of artifacts were found. Perhaps most intriguing is a scale model of a temple,[8] sculpted inglobigerina limestone.
The model is roofed and shows the typical structure of a Maltese temple including atrilithon façade, narrow-broad walling technique and upper layers of horizontalcorbelling.[9]
TheĠgantija phase temple is typicallytrefoil, with a concave façade opening onto a spacious semicircular forecourt. The façade contains a monumental doorway in the center and a bench at its base.[4] Two steps lead up to the main entrance and a corridor flanked by uprightmegaliths of coralline limestone.[3]
The corridor leads into a central torba (a cement-like material) court, radiating three semi-circular chambers. These were partially walled off at some time in the Saflieni phase;[10] pottery shards were recovered from the internal packing of this wall.[11] The apses are constructed with roughly-hewn stone walls and have a rock floor. Corbelling visible on the walls of the apses suggest that the temple was roofed.[3]
A small, sculpturedmodel of a temple carved from globigerina limestone was discovered here in 1923.[8]
TheSaflieni phase temple rests to the north and is six and a half meters long. It is entered through the eastern apse of the larger temple. Smaller stones have been used in its construction[7] and it exhibits irregularities in design consideredarchaic orprovincial.[12]
The site was excavated between 1923 and 1926 by SirTemi Zammit, then Director of Museums. The site was again excavated byJohn Davies Evans in 1954, and British archaeologistDavid H. Trump accurately dated the complex in the 1961 excavation.[3]
The temple was included on the Antiquities List of 1925.[13]
Parts of the façade and doorway were reconstructed in 1937.[14]
Authority control databases: Geographic |
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