Our third day was spent in the south of Malta visiting the Hagar Qim and Mnajdra Archaeological Park, and the Clapham Junction cart ruts with a lunchtime visit to the Blue Grotto.
Hagar Qim is situated on top of a promontory with a fertile plain to its east and a garrigue sloping down to the sea to the west. One finds Mnajdra a short walk downhill from Hagar Qim. The late Neolithic site of Hagar Qim consists of a group of monumental megalithic buildings and is unusual with features and doorways along its external walls.
Doorways inside the buildings are either trilithon, built with two upright stone blocks with a lintel and threshold, or an opening cut into a single megalith known as a porthole doorway.
It is believed that part of these buildings were covered by a corralled roof which was made by successive courses of megaliths, each one smaller than the one below. Hagar Qim has the largest stone so far found in any of these Maltese Neolithic temples, which is 20 tonnes.
A short walk down the hill towards the sea are the Mnajdra Temples. Mnajdra consists of three buildings constructed in both globigerina and coralline limestone. The first and oldest structure is the small three apsed structure with the south building being next to be completed and the central building being constructed on an artificial platform between the two earlier buildings. The south building’s doorway is aligned with sunrise during the spring and summer equinoxes.
Soon after their excavation these temples became national icons appearing on Maltese stamps and coins. The site also has a small museum and audio-visual show.
Our next stop was the Blue Grotto which is on the south coast of Malta not far from the Hagar Qim and Mnajdra Temples. It is on the general tourist schedule so can be very busy, but we were lucky that there was no queues for the boat rides to view the sea caves of the Blue Grotto. It is a nice spot and there are many restaurants for a good seafood lunch.
After lunch we made the short trip to an “off the beaten track” location to see the cart ruts of the area called Misrah Ghar il-Kbir which is also known as Clapham Junction. It is reported that the Clapham Junction nickname was given by an archaeologist, David H Trump, who said it reminded him of the busy railway station in London.
There is a complex network of cart ruts in this area in the limestone. It is unclear as to the age and purpose of these ruts although there are numerous theories. There are similar tracks in a number of sites on both major islands of Malta and Gozo. It has been suggested that they may have been used in different periods for different activities. It seems unlikely that the true reason for these ruts will ever be unearthed.
Words and photos: Copyright John Cruse 2024