Description: It was the Age of Reason, but when foreign visitors came to Gozo and saw the huge weathered stone constructions jutting clear of the turf they could come to only one conclusion: at one time giants had roamed this island and here they had left the remains of their watchtower. What else could explain these massive shattered stone circles crowning the uplands? The men of science thus named this magical spot after a giantess.
Ġgantija.
Obviously no giants ever lived here. Instead what these learned experts were looking at was yet another relic of the megalithic civilisation that had left their mysterious
temples and
crypts scattered about Malta. Ġgantija dates from between 3600 and 3000BC and consists of two temples constructed next to each other and surrounded by an encircling wall rising up to 6m tall. Once again, a very different atmosphere prevailed at this temple than at the others I had visited. The massive weather-beaten perimeter wall, jagged and cracked (and held up by scaffolding in some places) seemed a part of its natural landscape, like a reef thrusting up through the sod. Its entrances had an enviable vantage over the valley leading down to Mġarr, Comino, and Malta. The giants chose a great location.
Truth be told, again the siting of the temple was more impressive than the temple itself, though the age and size of the edifices do have a certain awe-inspiring aura about them. The views down to the sea (with handy coin-operated telescopes provided to pick out details), the wild-flowers sprouting from crannys among the rocks, and the nimble green lizards sunning themselves on the paths and walls all conspired to create a very pastoral and pleasant way to spend an hour.
The Ġgantija temples are on the outskirts of Xagħra. Entrance is €8 each. This ticket also entitles you to visit the
Ta’ Kola windmill back in town. This can easily be bypassed – no sails, scaffolding, and you cannot even climb up the tower, only a half-hearted museum of country life and recreations of typical rooms. But as the island’s most visited attraction and its only World Heritage Site a look at Ġgantija is well recommended to those coming to Malta. And if you are already in Xagħra then you have no excuse – they are only a couple of minute’s stroll down from the central Pjazza Victorija.
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