Wednesday – Paola, The Hypogeum and Tarxien Temple Complex

After my by-now customary leisurely morning routine, I set out on my day intending to visit the Hypogeum but my first stop was actually the Museum of Fine Arts. I had to start there because this is where you go to get last-minute tickets to the Hypogeum. Tickets were available for noon today or 4:00 pm tomorrow. I opted for the noon tickets. But, since I had some time before I needed to catch the bus to Paola and I was already inside the Museum of Fine Arts, it seemed silly not to take a stroll around it. This is another of those places in Malta that exemplifies the state of decrepit elegance. 

It’s small (befitting a small country), not air conditioned, and has paint peeling from places on the walls and ceilings. There were some nice paintings here but for someone accustomed to visiting the National Gallery of Art in Washington among other great museums, the MFA didn’t impress me as the sort of place I’d visit frequently were I a resident here.

With my museum visit complete, I took the short walk to the bus terminal and boarded a bus for Paola. I arrived in town at 11:15 for my noon tour so I wandered around a little. I’m glad I didn’t wander too much since I found the signs for this UNESCO World Heritage Site are a wee bit confusing and the entrance was, well, let’s say unprepossessing.

I must note here anyone who plans to visit Malta and the Hypogeum or as it is formally known the Hypogeum of Ħal Saflieni should make every effort to buy tickets well in advance. First, because the ticket I bought was a last-minute ticket, I paid a substantial premium. But more important than the cost is that as part of Heritage Malta’s preservation efforts only 80 people per day are admitted to the Hypogeum, so admissions sell out quickly. Now, as far as I’m concerned anyone who visits this island and doesn’t visit the Hypogeum will considerably diminish their experience. As I’d discover during my sojourn here, for such a physically small place, Malta is home to a surprisingly large number of impressive sites both man made and natural and this place will be at or near the top of anyone’s list of highlights.

            Another aspect of the preservation efforts is that there’s no photography allowed inside the chambers. Cameras and other electronic devices are confiscated before you enter so any of the interior pictures you see in this folder (such as the one below) are lifted from a few internet sites.

In the waiting area and the entrance above the chambers, you can read some information about the Neolithic culture on Malta and see reproductions of some of the artifacts. There’s also a brief slide show about the history and discovery of the site that you watch in a small informal theater before you embark on your guided and closely escorted tour of the site itself.The section shown in this shot is called the Oracle Chamber.

            The Hypogeum dates from the Saflieni era of Maltese prehistory meaning it was built between 3000 BCE and 2500 BCE. I couldn’t help but feel awe when I learned that the people who carved it did so underground using only stone and bone tools, with no natural light apparent and still managed to recreate the look for the temples that were constructed on the surface. As I would learn later one can readily see the similarities between the Hypogeum and the temples at Tarxien, Ħaġar Qim, and Mnajdra as well.

            As a side note, I was surprised that Heritage Malta, the organization that runs the site, has not had a video crew in this structure to produce a video. Whether shooting with high-speed film to minimize the impact of the lighting or briefly lighting the place, there should be DVDs for sale as soon as you finish the tour. If reasonably priced, I think they’d sell 50 a day.

            After this tour, I grabbed a bite of lunch (penne pasta with {head on} prawns and other seafood) at a small café on the square near the bus stop. I’d noted it when strolling about town in the morning. I set out after lunch to the other side of town and the Tarxien Temples. Like so many of these sites if you’re not looking for it, there’s a good chance you’d walk right by the entrance.

The ruins themselves get more interesting as you walk deeper into them.

Wednesday turned out to be the hottest day of my visit and by about 15:00 I was pretty much done in – so I set off back to the center of town where I knew I could get on the correct bus.

            I was so hot and tired that this was the only day I didn’t make it onto the roof. I stretched out on the bed for what I thought would be a quick nap and the next thing I knew it was nearly 19:15. Since I hadn’t yet eaten dinner at one of the waterfront restaurants, I thought this would be a nice night to try that. As I was leaving the flat, I passed John and Sally who were on their way in. The only advice they had was to avoid the Chinese restaurants which they thought were not particularly good. John gave me directions and I walked down through Victoria Gate – a structure that certainly makes and impression.

           British construction of the gate began in 1884. It opened in 1885 and was named for the reigning monarch. It replaced an existing single arch gate – the Porta del Monte or Marina Gate. Victoria Gate was never considered the main gate to the city but the area along the wharf (where I’d be walking for my dinner) had grown quite busy and, in their opinion, called for a larger gate. In the last photo in the folder, a coat of arms is clearly visible above each arch. The one on the left is for Malta and on the right is Valletta’s.

            The walking route down to the wharf was a bit circuitous so by the time I chose a restaurant and sat down, my appetite had returned and I ordered an unusually large dinner. My entrée was mussels in a tomato-based sauce served with thick steak fries. This isn’t the sort of dish you’d expect to be accompanied by fried potatoes but the Maltese couple fries with lots of unexpected main dishes. I ate at an unhurried pace and returned to the flat following a similar route realizing that two-thirds of my stay was behind me and only three days remained.