Malta fun facts

Older than the pyramids

Heritage Malta dates the two temples of Ġgantija on Gozo to between 3,800 and 2,000 BC, and Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra are more than 5,000 years old. At Mnajdra, the sunrise lines up with the temple at the equinoxes (heritagemalta.mt).

A temple under the ground

The Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum in Paola, cut into the rock and used as a burial place from 4000 to 1500 BC, was found by accident and covers about 500 square metres (heritagemalta.mt).

Elephants and hippos

In Għar Dalam cave, the bones of Ice Age elephants, hippopotami and red deer show that these animals once lived on the islands (heritagemalta.mt).

Caravaggio’s greatest canvas

Caravaggio’s Beheading of St John the Baptist hangs in the oratory of St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta, which Visit Malta describes as the first complete example of the high Baroque anywhere (visitmalta.com).

A medal on the flag

In 1942 King George VI awarded the George Cross to the island fortress of Malta; the cross appears on the national flag and is shown at the National War Museum in Fort St Elmo (visitmalta.com, heritagemalta.mt).

A film set in the sea

Popeye Village at Anchor Bay is the original set of the 1980 film Popeye (popeyemalta.com), and Mdina played King’s Landing in Game of Thrones (visitmalta.com).

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