Ggantija Travel Guide

 
by BlueLlama
 
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  • Trilithic Niches, Ggantija, Xaghra, Gozo, MT 2010
      Trilithic Niches, Ggantija, Xaghra,...
    by dromosapien
  • South Temple, Ggantija, Xaghra, Gozo, MT 2010
      South Temple, Ggantija, Xaghra, Gozo, MT...
    by dromosapien
 

Explore Ggantija

Things to Do  

ggantija and other temples

ggantija and other temples, Ggantija

 karinvanduin Says:  Defenatly have look at at ggantija when you have the chance! Amazing temple, even older than Stonehnge!Have a look at this website I found for more photo's and info on ggantija and other neolithic temples in Gozo and Malta. 

The North cave

The North cave, Ggantija

 Diana75 Says:  Across the road to the north, a natural cave was discovered in 1949.It is supposed that the cave was originally a rock-cut tomb, but it might also have served as temple refuse.Inside a great quantity of broken pottery of the Tarxien phase, but also fragments of a human skull... 

Discoveries in the temples

Discoveries in the temples, Ggantija

 Diana75 Says:  Pottery, vases and statuettes (two carved heads and a snake in relief) found during the 1827 excavations are now displayed in the Gozo Museum of Archaeology. 

Rituals in the temples

Rituals in the temples, Ggantija

 Diana75 Says:  Many of the signs left in the temples suggest that rituals of life and fertility have been practiced here.It is said that the huge stone block which can be seen at the entrance in the southern temple was used for animal purification rituals before entering the temple.The... 

The round stones

The round stones, Ggantija

 Diana75 Says:  At the entrance of the southern temple, small, spherical stones, discovered in the temples, are displayed.It is believed that these were used as ball bearings to transport the enormous stone blocks required for the temples' construction. 

Wall holes

Wall holes, Ggantija

 Diana75 Says:  Round holes can be seen both in the walls and in the paving slabs, especially in the southern temple.Those in the paving slabs were made in order to allow liquid offerings to pass through to the underworld. Those in the walls were made in order to hold screens or bars to... 

The altars

The altars, Ggantija

 Diana75 Says:  In both temples, the inner apses present niches with rudimentary altars.The altars have trilithon form or are solid cubic blocks and originally may have been decorated with relief spirals. 

The walls

The walls, Ggantija

 Diana75 Says:  As the boundary wall, the temples walls are not less impressive: the largest megaliths are round six by four meters.The internal walls were made of coralline limestone rubble, covered in plaster.The form of the walls suggests that the whole structure was once roofed. 

Temples doorway

Temples doorway, Ggantija

 Diana75 Says:  Both temples have a single and central doorway.The door opens into the corridor that is connecting the apses and is made of huge blocks of stone 

The second temple

The second temple, Ggantija

 Diana75 Says:  The second temple, smaller, was built later and doesn't present as many features as the southern one.The building technique is suggesting that the temple was roofed. 

The southern temple

The southern temple, Ggantija

 Diana75 Says:  The first temple of the two, the southern one, is larger, older and more extensive. Rising at a height of six meters, the five apses of the temple contain also numerous altars, relief carvings and wall holes.Recent calculations have suggested that the south temple would have... 

Transportation  

How to get to Ggantija
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Ggantija directions
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The two temples of Ggantija are erected side by side on the Xaghra plateau, on Gozo Island.

The site can be reached either by car or by bus (no. 64 and 65).

Written Oct 12, 2006

Related to:
 Archeology
 Road Trip
 Backpacking

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Shopping  

Fresh fruits, honey and home made syrup

Fresh fruits, honey and home made syrup, Ggantija

 Diana75 Says:   Gozo's honey is also renowned and the ones that want to bring something specific back home can buy thyme honey or Carob syrup from the peddlers displaying their products near the temples.Another tasty attraction is the prickly pear, the fruit of the cactus plant, which for... 

Souvenirs

Souvenirs, Ggantija

 Diana75 Says:  The site of the temples is not as rich in souvenirs shops as others in Malta.Some small shops selling lace and other small things can be found at the entrance, while near the ticket office is another small shop selling soft drinks, post cards, books and other small... 

Local Customs  

Maltese temples
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Ggantija temples

All over the Maltese islands, many mysterious temples were built thousands of years ago.

The plans of the Maltese Neolithic temples are based on a forecourt in front of a concave facade, a trilithon doorway leading to a central paved corridor from which semicircular rooms open on both sides.

Made using huge stone blocks in a period when no metal tools existed, the temples surprisingly survived until today when their gigantic structures can be still visited in Ggantija, Hagar Qim, Mnajdra, Tarxien and the underground Hypogeum at Hal Saflieni.

Built in the honor of the Mother-Goddess of fertility, the temples seem to be the result of a superhuman effort.

Written Oct 13, 2006

Related to:
 Historical Travel
 Religious Travel
 Archeology

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Off The Beaten Path  

View of Xewkija
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Xewkija's Rotunda view from Ggantija
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From the temples plateau, there is a magnificent view of the surroundings up to the lovely village of Xewkija, the oldest in Gozo, situated between Ghajnsielem and the capital town, Victoria.

Xewkija's distinctive landmark is the awesome Rotunda, the parish church dedicated to St. John the Baptist.

Written Oct 13, 2006

Related to:
 Historical Travel
 Architecture
 Religious Travel

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Favorites  

Information board

Information board, Ggantija

 Diana75 Says:  For the visitors that don't have a guide book and know nothing about Ggantija, on the site there is a board written in English and Maltese supplying some information about the temples, the history and features. 

Ggantija's legend

Ggantija's legend, Ggantija

 Diana75 Says:  In Maltese, Ggantija means "belonging to the giants".A local legend is saying that a giant called Sansuna carried the stones to build the temples on her head from a site located far way.And it seems that the work of the giant was so good that the temples survived... 

Ggantija Temples – Unesco World Heritage site

Ggantija Temples – Unesco World Heritage site, Ggantija

 Diana75 Says:  Ggantija became the first of the Maltese megalithic temples to be inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1980. 

Ggantija opening hours and tickets

Ggantija opening hours and tickets, Ggantija

 Diana75 Says:  The Ggantija site is opened from Monday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last admission 4:30 p.m.).The way from the entrance to the site goes near the North Cave and behind the temples.The ticket office is near the temples. 

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Map of Ggantija