- Address: MGR 1541, Ta 'Hagrat, L-Imġarr, Malta
- Phone: +356 2123 9545
- Working hours: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday - 9.00 - 16.30
Mjarr (Imjarr) is a small town in the north-west of Malta . On the outskirts of the village there is an archaeological monument of Ta 'Hajrat (in the Maltese language Ta' Ħaġrat). This ancient sanctuary on the planet belongs to megalithic temples and is included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Description of the temple complex of Ta 'Hajrat
As often happens, the temple complex consists of two adjacent parts: the Great and Small Temple. The first is in the form of a shamrock with a concave facade and opens onto the main square. The second temple was built a little later, in the era of Saflieni . The layout of the temple complex is nonstandard and does not look like the rest of the sanctuary of this period in Malta .
The main entrance to the sanctuary has been preserved quite well, so we have an idea of what was there. On the territory of Ta 'Hajrat along the facade there were benches that stretched on either side of the gate itself. As scientists suppose, they served to place candles and donations on them. Three broad stone steps lead to the entrance to the main temple. Initially, there were two pairs of stone pillars that supported the massive vaults. They were on one large stone slab, which was located virtually along the entire length of the passage. But over time, trees and natural conditions damaged the facade.
The rectangular courtyard is paved with boulders and is surrounded by a border of small stones. The walls of Ta 'Hajrat are built of huge cobblestones, it remains to be surprised how the ancient Maltese managed to raise and build such a thing. According to the scientists, the church even had a roof made of stone slabs, which are interesting because they were not found anywhere else during archeological excavations. By the way, the altar in the temple was not found.
The most important archaeological site is the temple model, which is made of coral limestone. This building material is the oldest one available in Malta.
To the tourist on a note
The temple complex is open only on Tuesdays and is only available for an hour and a half from 9:30 to 11:00. The ticket must be purchased at the office, which is a few blocks from the entrance. Also here you can get on a single ticket, which is called "The Legacy of Malta." To get to the complex, you have to knock on the gate. Own guide is not here, but everywhere there are tablets with a detailed description.
Ta 'Hajrat is preserved, of course, not completely, in some places it is destroyed, and one can only guess how it looked like before. The temple itself is small, but it is located under the open sky, near the sea. You can breathe fresh and delightful air and immerse yourself in the study of the ancient sanctuary and found artifacts.
How to get there?
Before the city of Mgarr from Cirkewwa go ferry flights every half an hour. The journey takes twenty-five to thirty minutes. Also here you can get by air with a seaplane - this is an air taxi, which regularly leaves the terminal in the city of Valletta and lands in the port of Majar in ten to fifteen minutes. You can also take a taxi, which will take travelers from the airport and take them to the port, with ferrying the car by ferry (the price is about 75 euros). From the center of the city you need to walk about one kilometer to the west to the temple sign.
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