Il-Festi tal-Hagar Qim u Mnajdra
The megalithic temples of Hagar Qim and Mnajdra are among the oldest freestanding stone buildings in the world, dating back to 3600 BC (older than Stonehenge by over 1,000 years). The temples are aligned with the solstices and the equinoxes, and on the spring and autumn equinoxes, the sun rises directly over the altar of the Mnajdra temple, illuminating the stone with a shaft of light. The temples are located on a hilltop overlooking the sea, and the view is one of the most beautiful in Malta. The temples were built by a civilization that left no written records, and the purpose of the temples is still a mystery. The stone blocks are massive (some weigh over 20 tons), and the construction techniques are unknown. The temples are a reminder that Malta was a center of civilization long before the Phoenicians, the Romans, the Arabs, the Normans, and the Knights of St John arrived.