If you’re planning a trip to Malta and fancy visiting the oldest prehistoric temple that is completely underground, I would highly recommend a visit to the Hypogeum of Hal-Saflieni in the southern part of the island.

A hypogeum is an underground temple or tomb and there are numerous examples around the world of such items, mainly in the Ancient world like Egypt or Crete. It is not clear why people would have built an underground temple although protection from attack or from the elements is a common theory.

The Maltese Hypogeum is well-known on the island since it is the only known prehistoric temple that is completely underground in the world. As befits its status on the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the whole temple is carefully controlled and meticulously  maintained. Only 60 people a day are allowed into the Hypogeum to ensure that the internal climate is not disturbed.

I arrived there with a few minutes to spare and almost missed the place – walking right past the nondescript front door in the middle of a residential zone.

This is because it was discovered by accident.

In 1902, construction workers trying to dig a well for a house broke through the roof of the temple. Not realising the significance of their discovery, they tried to cover the whole thing up but word spread and the temple was soon documented and uncovered.

The temple dates back to around 4,000 BC. That makes it 6,000 years old. For comparison, the oldest pyramid in Egypt dates back to 2,600 BC and Stonehenge has been dated at 2,400 BC.

The temple itself is made up of 3 separate levels – each level built when the previous one was no longer enough for their needs so each dates from a different period. The first level is similar to other neolithic temples on the islands (there are many) and you can get a better appreciation of this sort of layout if you’ve already seen other temples.

I’d recommend you go to the Mnajdra temples to see daybreak on the solstices.

The second level is the important one because:

1. The whole structure was carved out of the rock using nothing more elaborate than tools fashioned from flint and antlers. I can barely slice a loaf of bread with a sharp knife so this is very impressive.
2. There are several doorways formed out of three slabs of rock. By adding this feature, the original builders were trying to make the temple look like a standard temple rather than a series of connected caves. Interestingly, some of these doorways don’t lead anywhere. Was their intent to excavate further? Or did they just want the aesthetics of a door in the wall?
3. The Main Chamber is situated on this level and was covered with a red ochre made out of soil and earth. The ochre is fading but is still visible and is one reason why the temperature and climate needs to be carefully controlled.
4. The statue of the sleeping lady was discovered here. This statuette is significant as it suggests that the people who lived on the island at the time had a female-centric religion.
5. The Oracle’s room has acoustics perfectly formed to enhance sound wherever in the room you are. Eerily, the echoes reverberate in a rhythm similar to a human heart beat.
6. The next room is known as the Holy of Holies which has numerous decorative doorways (including a nested one) as well as decorations on the walls.

The third level (sometimes referred to as a snake pit) was possibly used for storage at some point. When discovered, it was full of human remains (33,000 approximately) implying that the temple had been used as a necropolis at some stage.

As you descend into the dimly lit cavernous temple, the cooler climate does make you shiver. The guide, with her tales of human remains and rituals, adds to the sensation of being in an Indiana Jones movie. Just off the Holy of Holies, you can see a lower cave on your left which, we were told, was used for storage too.

However, this is not what was reported in the 1940s including, allegedly, in the National Geographic (I can’t find a good link to it).

According to this story, Ms Lois Jessup visited the temples and when she went into this lower cave, she saw a series of humanoid beings, covered in white hair. Upon seeing her, they raised their hands to her and a gust of wind blew out the candle she held. After this, the lower cave was blocked off and people are still not allowed to walk though it.

Probably an urban legend of sorts, my feeling is that Ms Jessup confused the Hypogeum with one of the local pubs where you can also see a series of humanoid beings covered in hair. (And some are just as Neanderthal today … )

Another legend tells of a school trip that got trapped in the inner chamber after part of the cave collapsed. The parents of these children allegedly kept hearing the children’s cries all over the island. This story was never reported in the local press and feeds off another legend that the whole of Malta is hollow – something which is geologically impossible.

Having said that, when your eyes adjust to the dim light, when the clammy feeling of the humid Mediterranean air starts to cling to your temples (pun intended), when the whole group grows silent at the sight of the decorations and carvings, it’s easy to start thinking that maybe, just maybe, there may be some truth in those stories …

More information can be found on the Heritage Malta website. While some last-minute tickets may be available, bookings are usually needed about 6 weeks in advance. Photographic equipment is not allowed inside so all pictures are taken from the Heritage Malta website.