Ta' Ħaġrat Temples
Ta' Ħaġrat
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| Location | Mġarr, Malta |
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| Coordinates | 35°55′07″N 14°22′07″E / 35.9185°N 14.3686°ECoordinates: 35°55′07″N 14°22′07″E / 35.9185°N 14.3686°E |
| Type | Temple |
| Part of | Megalithic Temples of Malta |
| History | |
| Material | Limestone |
| Founded | c.3600 BC–c.3200 BC |
| Periods |
Ġgantija phase Saflieni phase |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1923–1961 |
| Archaeologists |
John Davies Evans David Trump |
| Condition | Ruins |
| Ownership | Government of Malta |
| Management | Heritage Malta |
| Public access | Yes |
| Website | Heritage Malta |
| Official name | Megalithic Temples of Malta: Ġgantija, Ħaġar Qim, Mnajdra, Ta' Ħaġrat, Skorba, Tarxien |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | iv |
| Designated | 1980 (4th session) |
| Reference no. | 132 |
| Region | Europe and North America |
| Extended | 1992 |
The Ta' Ħaġrat ([taˈħad͡ʒrat]) temples in Mġarr, Malta is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with several other Megalithic temples. They are amongst the most ancient religious sites on Earth. The larger Ta' Ħaġrat temple dates from the Ġgantija phase (3600–3200 BCE); the smaller is dated to the Saflieni phase (3300–3000 BCE).
Ta' Ħaġrat is on the eastern outskirts of the village of Mġarr, roughly one kilometer from the Ta' Skorba temples. Characteristics of the Ta' Ħaġrat façade resemble those in the Ta' Skorba complex.
The excavation of plentiful pottery deposits show that a village stood on the site and predates the temples themselves. This early pottery is dated to the Mġarr phase (3800-3600 BCE).
Ta' Ħaġrat is built out of lower coralline limestone, the oldest exposed rock in the Maltese Islands. The complex contains two adjacent temples. 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 other neolithic temples in Malta. Unlike other megalithic 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, sculpted in globigerina limestone.
The model is roofed and shows the typical structure of a Maltese temple including a trilithon façade, narrow-broad walling technique and upper layers of horizontal corbelling.
The Ġgantija phase temple is typically trefoil, 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. Two steps lead up to the main entrance and a corridor flanked by upright megaliths of coralline limestone.
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