Mnajdra Prehistoric Temples

Mnajdra, Malta
3600 B.C.--2500 B.C.
The Maltese temples are considered the oldest surviving free-standing stone structures in the world. The curving monuments, built before Egypt's great pyramids, stand in groupings across the island. They may have first been rediscovered in medieval times, but their real significance was not established until the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Constructed of durable coralline and softer globigerina limestone, the Mnajdra temples, along with others in the immediate area, reveal much about the western world's earliest construction methods. Although they have withstood the elements for several millennia, many of the megaliths are collapsing. A geophysical assessment and conservation plan is needed to stabilize the structures. Rain and salt air continue to erode surfaces while vibrations from nearby quarries may also have weakened temple walls. Visitors, too, inflict damage. A recent convening of preservation agencies, including representatives from UNESCO, stressed the urgency for physical consolidation of the sites. The megalithic temples of Malta are on the World Heritage List.

Listed in 1998