Hypogeum of Ħal Saflieni

The Hypogeum of Ħal Saflieni is an underground sanctuary and burial place cut into the limestone of Malta more than five thousand years ago, the only prehistoric underground temple of its kind known. It was found by accident in 1902, when workmen digging cisterns for new houses in Paola broke through its roof. Its rock-cut chambers were in use from about 4000 to 2500 BC, during the same era that produced Malta's great megalithic temples above ground.

The complex descends through three levels. The upper one, only about a metre below the street, is the oldest; the middle and lower levels were carved out later, linked by steps, lintels and doorways that copy in solid rock the trilithon gateways of the surface temples. In the middle level, the so-called Holy of Holies has nested trilithon openings, and the Oracle Room is known for its powerful acoustic resonance: sound made in it carries through the surrounding chambers. Parts of the walls and ceilings still carry painted decoration in red ochre, with spirals, discs and honeycomb patterns.

Excavations by Manuel Magri between 1903 and 1907, and by Themistocles Zammit in 1910–11, uncovered the remains of an estimated 7,000 people, along with pottery, amulets and figurines. The best known find is the Sleeping Lady, a small clay figure of a reclining woman, now in the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta. The Hypogeum was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980. The surrounding town of Paola grew up in the 17th century in the hinterland of the Grand Harbour.

Getting there

The Hypogeum lies in Paola, in the built-up area south of the Grand Harbour; the town of Żabbar is about 3 km away. The nearest airport is Malta International Airport (MLA), about 3 km away.