Top 6 Archaeological Sites in Malta You Must Visit.

Ancient megalithic temple site in Malta, part of the island’s UNESCO-listed prehistoric heritage.

Malta is one of the most fascinating archaeological destinations in the Mediterranean, with a history that stretches back over 5,000 years. Long before the pyramids of Egypt, the islands were home to highly skilled builders who created some of the world’s oldest free-standing stone structures. Today, these prehistoric temples and sites offer a remarkable glimpse into early human civilisation, blending mystery, engineering skill, and ancient ritual.

 

 🏛️ Top 6 Archaeological Sites in Malta 

1. Ġgantija Temples (Gozo) One of the oldest known free-standing structures in the world, built around 3600 BC. These massive limestone temples are older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids.

2. Ħaġar Qim Temples A dramatic clifftop temple complex overlooking the sea. Known for its finely carved stonework and alignment with the sun during solstices. These prehistoric structures are dated between 3600 and 3200 BC, making them older than the Egyptian Pyramids and Stonehenge.

The entire site is protected by a large tent structure installed in 2009 to prevent weathering and surface flaking. Ħaġar Qim is a UNESCO World Heritage site located on a hilltop overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

3. Mnajdra Temples Located near Ħaġar Qim, this site is famous for its astronomical alignment and beautifully preserved temple layout.

These prehistoric temples date back to approximately 3600-3200 BC, making them among the oldest 'religious' monuments in the world. The site consists of three distinct buildings arranged in a cloverleaf or three-apse design, constructed from local limestone.

4. Tarxien Temples A richly decorated complex featuring some of the most detailed stone carvings found in Maltese prehistoric sites, including spiral motifs and animal reliefs. 

The temple complex consists of four distinct structures built between approximately 3,600 and 2,500 BC, making them over 5,000 years old. The site was discovered by local farmers in 1913, long after the nearby Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum was found. Excavations revealed prehistoric art, unique spiral designs, and evidence that the site was originally used for animal sacrifices.

5. Ghar Dalam Cave. The cave is a renowned archaeological site where researchers have discovered fossilized remains of extinct animals, including dwarf elephants and hippos, dating back to the Ice Age. It features six distinct layers of deposits that provide an uninterrupted record of the Pleistocene period, crucial for understanding ancient Maltese prehistory. Today, visitors can take guided tours to explore the cave's ancient underground landscape and visit the on-site museum to see the artifacts and fossils discovered there.

6. Hypogeum of Ħal Saflieni A unique underground burial complex carved entirely into rock. This UNESCO World Heritage Site reveals extraordinary insight into prehistoric burial rituals and acoustics. These ancient sites not only showcase Malta’s deep history but also raise enduring questions about the people who built them and how such advanced structures were created so early in human civilisation.

Other interesting sites of archaeological significance worth seeing are...

Domus Romana (1st Century BC Roman Villa between Mdina and Rabat).

Xwejni Salt Pans (A practice believed to have been started by the Phoenicians and expanded by the Romans):

 Mdina Gate: Built in 1724.

 Map of Archaeological Sites in Malta 

This guide highlights six of the most important archaeological sites in Malta that are essential for understanding the island’s unique past.

Things to see and do in Tunis-Carthage

 Welcome back everyone and welcome to my first solo trip for 2026! Living the retired life ain't half bad ya know.

Ok, shocking as it seems, I can step out of my comfort zone. Those of you that know me know that I hate connecting flights. Something about depending on an airline to get me somewhere in time to catch another ✈️ has always worried me so I've avoided it like a Liverpool fan at Emirates Stadium (football joke for those that love watching 90 minutes of a game to have it end in a draw 😂). So, with anxiety almost in control, I boarded an ITA flight from LHR to Rome. BTW, ITA used to be Alitalia...who knew they changed 🤔 Surprisingly, they got me to Rome in time...I did book a connecting flight 2 hours later to be safe. Funny thing, my connecting flight was late anyway.

Back to day 1. I'm staying at the Ibis Tunis which is about 20 kilometers South of Carthage so I hired a guide to drive me around and explain the history. So, pick up at 9am by Noureddine Boukari (here's the plug... WhatsApp (+216) 24 332 451 and boukari.noureddine@gmail.com).

First stop was the highest point in Carthage, the location of the Cathedral of St Louis IX who died in 1270 and was buried in Carthage. His body was disinterred in the 1800's when Tunisia was a French colony. Fun fact, well interesting maybe not fun, Louis led the seventh crusade. You know, those pesky little escapades organised by the church and European nobles!

Back to the Cathedral. The site is impressive as there are three levels of history. The first being the Punic. This ran from approximately 814BC to 146BC and included the three Punic wars (with Rome) and the General who marched troops and elephants across the Alps, Hannibal. The second was the Roman which ran from 146BC, when Carthage lost the third Punic war, to approximately 533AD. This coincides with downfall of the Western Roman Empire and a period of dominance of the Byzantine Empire, Eastern Roman based in Constantinople. The final period lasted until 698AD when the Arabs conquered Carthage. The pictures below show the different levels, the level I am standing on is Byzantine and the last is the Punic. Unfortunately, not much remains of the Punic as a lot was vandalised and reused.

 View from the Byzantine level

My hat has now been to 20+ countries 

Looking down to the Punic layer

If you walk to the rear of the Cathedral you'll find a sort of relic garden where they have collected ruins. There's also a statue of St Louis IX and his, now empty, sarcophagus. I've attached a photo of the sarcophagus and a picture of a tiny version. So, horrible history time, the tiny ones were used for the ashes of the first born son. Apparently, the Phoenicians required that first born sons be sacrificed. This continued until a general refused, he sacrificed a slave which led to his son growing up to be Hannibal!

St Louis IX sarcophagus 

While I didn't visit to see buildings that are only a few hundred years old, I did think the Cathedral was beautiful so here's a few pictures.

Travelers hint: You'll find a lot of stalls at the bigger sites all selling the same things... small mosaics, mini statues, the normal fare. Be wary as they charge a lot and expect you to haggle. Some take offence if you don't. Also, don't believe everything you hear. An example, stalls were selling Punic coins. I doubt that authentic 2500 year old coins are going for 40DT.

Second stop...a short drive to a Roman amphitheatre used for the execution of criminals. The site was built around 1st-2nd century AD and is famous for the martyrdom of Christians most notably, Saints Perpetual and Felicity who were killed by wild animals in 203AD. The site, like many in Carthage, was buried until the last century. The gateway in the center of the first photo was where they kept the prisoner.

The center is where the animals were kept 

Ok, continuing on to the next stop which is the remaining sections of the Roman aquaduct. Most people know that the Romans were master builders and engineers and quite a few examples still exist in Europe of their aquaducts. I bet most people don't know how complex they actually were. In Tunisia, this particular aquaduct was 134kms long and included a three level cistern that fed water through a system to satisfy 30,000 people. The last picture is a few of the cisterns.

Aquaduct cistern 

By now, it was starting to get a tad warm which shouldn't be a surprise given it is North Africa! On to stop four which was a theatre. Now the Romans being excellent planners had two theatres, a winter one which is smaller and is located just below the Cathedral and a summer one which is bigger and is aligned so the seats are in the shade in the afternoon. So, trivia fans take note, the theatre is still in use although only a few of the seats and the stage are original and has seen the likes of Kool and Gang play there. Also, for WW2 history buffs, Churchill gave a speech to the 8th Army there in 1943.

Stunning view from the theatre 

 Great views!

Continuing with my whirlwind tour of Carthage meant a visit to the second largest Roman baths in the world. The site was built on part of a Punic necropolis, again not much survives from the Punic period so this was amazing! The baths though, they were massive, much bigger footprint than the one in Bath, England. FYI, Roman baths consisted of four chambers. The first is the Apodyterium, this was the entrance and changing rooms. The second was the Tepidarium which was warm and designed to prepare the body for heat... I believe the Romans exercised there. The final area was the Frigidarium which was a large, unheated, cold pool. Now we know why fridges are called fridges 😂.

The Antoine baths were started by Hadrian, he of the wall fame in 117AD and finished by Antonius in 165AD only to be ruined by vandals around 439AD.

Ok, by now I was starting to flag. Being old and tired, spent most of the night chasing mosquitoes 🦟, plus it being around 25c pretty much did me in. 

Travellers tip: Don't open your hotel window unless you like 🦟. There's a salt lake at the edge of the city. The government has reclaimed some of the land and are aggressively building there, including a new USA embassy. However, despite their efforts, they haven't got rid of the mozzies.

Back to the hotel with a quick stop for supplies and a bite to eat, a 'Brik' which is a deep fried savoury pastry made from thin mollsouka dough...like filo pastry, and filled with cheese (you can tuna and egg but that just sounds nasty).

All in all a good outing. Tomorrow is a visit to the Medina for some shopping and haggling.

Day 2:

Started out less than perfect as had my flights back changed due to a short notice strike in Germany. I'm now flying back on Air France via Paris, oh well,, maybe I can do some shopping.

The morning was spent at the Medina. It was nice, pretty much on par with the ones in Morocco although this one seemed to have a lot more jewelry. Honestly, I loved it and the vendors were less aggressive than in Morocco which is the opposite of what I had heard!

I will be going to the American WW2 cemetery later this afternoon, more of an update later.

Ok, went out to do some more exploring. My guide yesterday mentioned the American Cemetery on the outskirts of Carthage so I asked my airport driver if he'd accommodate and, as I was paying, he kindly agreed. What a beautiful site. I have to say the American Battlefield Memorial team always do a fantastic job commemorating those who made the ultimate sacrifice. This site was commissioned in 1960 and is the burial site for 2,883 soldiers, sailors, airmen and civilians including a Medal of Honor winner and a member of the USA 400m relay gold medal team from 1936.

My final stop of the day, and trip was a village called Sidi Bou Said. It's a pretty place with blue and white buildings a bit like Santorini but way busier. Today, unbeknownst to me, was a holiday in Tunisia so everyone and their brother was out. It was not my scene, more than 2 people tends to not be my scene but the views were very nice...

...oh, and they have these ginormous donut 🍩 like things called Bambalouni's which are very nice 🙂.

Well, that's about it for this trip so until the next time. 😀

Marrakech highlights, what to see

 

                                                        Morocco trip with Travis 2025

This years annual trip with the Travman is to.....Morocco!!! This is my second trip (the first was 20+ years ago), Travis' first so it is an experience for both of us. So far, the trip and Morocco has not dissappointed although we did have our normal 'adventure' when arriving yesterday...honestly, the hotel site said .7 miles from the airport!! Based on the absolute lack of wifi at the airport so no phone, and the belief in the closeness of the hotel, we decided to walk it at 7pm. Well, 90+ minutes later we arrived.

Traveller Tip #1: Check your cell phone provider to make sure you are covered. Many countries outside of Europe or the USA come under Zone 3 which is prohibatively expensive.

Traveller Tip #2: Download maps in case Internet access is not available.

The first real day was planned to be an ad hoc day as we have an all day excursion scheduled for day 2 (4th November). The day started early, left the hotel at 8:30 and headed the 2.5 kilometers to the main mosque in the old town. FYI, Marrakech is divided into two halves. The half we are staying in is the new town. The old town has all the main attractions such as the souks and main mosque.

The two haves are seperated by a pretty impressive wall (see photo above) which has 12 gates. The medina encompasses 19 square kilometers so not small.

Fortunately, I managed to book a place that was pretty central. Turing left out of the hotel and follow Avenue Mohammad V for 2.5kms, about 45 minutes walk. It took us  little while to get to the main mosque but it was worth it. Not nearly as nice as the blue mosque or Sofia in Istanbul but nothing really does compare to those.

...from the maain mosque we made our way to the main souk(s) but in a bit of a round-about way. By round about I mean lets get lost mode. We followed Avenue Houmman and ended up in Mellah which a separate area of the Medina with a number of nice placaes.

Interesting fact-Morocco still has a monarchy, led by a King who is the final say in government decisions, a bit different than Charles in England (The Magna Carta and civil war assured that to be the case).

 Now, if you've never been to the Middle East or North Africa, a souk is a market. Actually, it is chaos on a new level totally alien to anyone from Europe and the USA. That being said, Borough Market in London can be mad but, it is more organised and you don't get people aggressively trying to get you to buy stuff. However, compared to other North African countries, Morocco is fairly tame...just don't stop to look for more than a few seconds and ry not to engage. There are, also, a shed load of cats!!!

Tomorrow is our excursion into the 5 valleys and the Atlas mountains. 😀

Well, Day 2 was a loooonnnnnggggg day! Up early to catch the van at 0750 and just got back at nearly 5pm. I have to say it was a pretty good trip out. I, personally, think it is worthwhile leaving the local, more touristy, areas to go and see what the real country you are visiting is like. I've done this on a number of occassions, most recently Jordan but have done the same in Bulgaria, Romania, Germany, Austria, France, Holland and a few other places. I would definitely recommend it.

Today's trip was to the Atlas Mountains and a few of the local valleys. Whilst the scenary was stunning it was the chance to interact with berber families that made it special. The group ate breakfast (Freshly made bread, Berber nutella, honey and mint tea) with a local family but the extra special touch was having lunch with another Berber family with stunning views of the mountains.

Interesting fact: The highest mountain in Morocco (and North Africa) is Mt Toubkal at 4167m. In comparison, the highest point in the UK is Ben Nevis at a measly 1345m.

The lunch was delicious! We had Chicken Tangine and cous cous with homemade bread. Everything was fresh and organic, it was an amazing experience!

I've just attached a few pictures following. I will work on a better description when back home.

Sunrise in Morocco, on our way to the Atlas Mountains.

Dry river bed in one of he valleys. It will remain this way, probably, until February.

Mount Toubkal (4167m)

It is fitting that, after a very nice trip, I have the moon watching over me...she's stunning as always.

Until next time all ✌😊