Day six consisted of a visit to The Hypogeum, The Three Cities and the Malta at War Museum.
The Hal Saflieni Hypogeum is a Neolithic underground burial complex carved out of the limestone and is one of Malta’s most important World Heritage sites. Thousands of human skeletons were found here in a series of chambers and hollows cut progressively deeper into the rock, which ultimately create an elaborate three level burial complex. The complex was in use for centuries and was embellished with superb rock carvings, ochre wall painting and numerous works of art and gifts for the departed in an underworld for the dead.
The Hypogeum was discovered by workmen during construction of overlying houses at the turn of the 20th century. Wells were being cut for the houses and resulted in the workmen cutting through the roof of the underground chambers. The current site contains a cinema where a short film is shown about The Hypogeum, after which visitors are taken down through the three levels with audio guides that explain what is being seen.
Unfortunately photography is not allowed in The Hypogeum so we cannot share the experience of our visit but pictures and a virtual experience are available on the Heritage Malta Hypogeum site at https://heritagemalta.mt/explore/hal-saflieni-hypogeum/
The Hypogeum has a limited entrance to 10 persons at a time, with timed tours, and gets booked up months in advance, so turning up on the day does not work and has to be booked in advance.
Our next visit was to the Three Cities of Senglea (Isla), Vittoriosa (Birgu) and Conspicua (Bormia) which sit across the Grand Harbour from Valletta.
The series of inlets and promontories were chosen by the Knights of St John as their first headquarters when they took control of Malta in 1530. Centred around Galley Creek were three small towns with the main one being Birgu, which still retains much of the originality of the 16th century streets and buildings.
From the Three Cities, the Knights of St John valiantly defended the island from the Ottomans during the Great Siege of 1565. After the Great Siege they built Valletta but also refortified the three towns’ massive defences known as the Margarita and Cottonera Lines.
Strategically located on a hillock at the end of Birgu peninsula the Fort dominates the Grand Harbour. By 1274, the stronghold, previously known as Castrum Marias (castle by the sea), consisted of two enclosures. The Sicilian overlords considered this fort as a guarantee of their interests in the Maltese Islands. Christened, Fort St Angelo, by the Order of St John and turned into their headquarters, the Knights remodelled the building extensively with the construction of a series of artillery platforms, which marked the bastioned system of defence into the Maltese Islands. The rejuvenated sentinel of the Grand Harbour had a major role during the Great Siege.
As one walks around the streets of Birgu, buildings that were the Auberges (hostel/lodge) of various Knights are marked with plaques. The Knights were made up of many nationalities and it seemed that the Auberges were arranged by nationality.
As the picture above shows, the Auberges are still lived in today. The streets of Vittoriosa (Birgu) are charming and definitely worth visiting if you are into your history.
Also in Vittoriosa (Birgu) is the Malta at War Museum. During World War II the Maltese made good use of their stone quarrying heritage to build numerous underground shelters as protection from heavy bombing. There were several hundred shelters in Malta and one of the largest was in the Three Cities, whose proximity to the Grand Harbour made it a frequent target. Today, the underground shelter houses the Malta at War Museum where one can see various presentations of how World War II impacted Malta and tour the tunnels.
Some of the tunnels were very small, so when the tunnels were full it must have been claustrophobic. There was a communal dormitory which was fitted with bunk-beds that were used on a first come, first served, basis. There were also private cubicles occupied on a private basis by individuals or families at their own expense. Individual cubicles were only allowed after shelters could cater for the whole population.
The Museum is very interesting and shows the tribulations the Maltese people, who stayed in Malta during World War II, had to suffer.
That was our last day in Malta and our last trip for this year. Roll on 2025.
Words and photos: Copyright John Cruse 2024