Buġibba Temple

Buġibba Temple
	Buġibba Temple with the Dolmen Resort Hotel to the right
	Shown within Malta
Location	Buġibba/Qawra, St. Paul's Bay, Malta
Coordinates	35°57′17″N 14°25′5.2″E / 35.95472°N 14.418111°E / 35.95472; 14.418111
Type	Temple
Part of	Megalithic Temples of Malta
History
Material	Limestone
Founded	c.3150–2500 BC
Periods	Tarxien phase
Site notes
Excavation dates	1928–1954
Archaeologists	Themistocles Zammit; L. J. Upton Way
Condition	Ruins
Public access	Yes

Buġibba Temple is a megalithic temple on the border of Buġibba and Qawra towns, limits of St. Paul's Bay, Malta. A hotel was built on the grounds of the temple.^[1]

Site

The temple is located a short distance from the coast, between Buġibba and Qawra Point. It was built during the Tarxien phase of Maltese prehistory. The temple is quite small, and part of its coralline limestone façade can still be seen. From the trilithon entrance, a corridor leads to a central area which contains three apses. Part of the temple's floor has also survived at the back of the site.^[2]

The rest of the structure was destroyed over the years, as the area was leveled due to being used for agricultural purposes.

Excavations and recent history

The Buġibba Temple was discovered by Maltese archaeologist Themistocles Zammit in the 1920s, when he discovered large stones in a field close to Qawra Point. These remains were included on the Antiquities List of 1925, as "the megalithic remains on the side of the road to Qawra point".^[3] The temple was excavated in 1928 by Zammit and L. J. Upton Way,^[4] and was again surveyed in 1952. Two years later, in 1954, some minor excavations were made to ascertain the chronology of the temple.

During the excavations, two decorated stone blocks were found. One is a carved square block that was an altar, and the other is a rectangular block with carved fish on two of its faces. These blocks are now in the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta.^[5]

The temple's capstone was also replaced in modern times.

Eventually, the Dolmen Resort Hotel was built around the temple, which was incorporated into the grounds of the hotel close to its swimming pools.

References

^ Zammit, V. (3 March 1996). It-tempju preistoriku f'Bugibba. Mument : Pizzikanna, pp. 7.
^ "Buggiba Ancient Temple". megalithic.co.uk. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
^ "Protection of Antiquities Regulations 21st November, 1932 Government Notice 402 of 1932, as Amended by Government Notices 127 of 1935 and 338 of 1939". Malta Environment and Planning Authority. Archived from the original on 19 April 2016.
^ "Buġibba". web.infinito.it. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
^ "Bugibba Temple" (PDF). National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 February 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2015.

External links

National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands

[1] Zammit, V. (3 March 1996). It-tempju preistoriku f'Bugibba. Mument : Pizzikanna, pp. 7.

[2] "Buggiba Ancient Temple". megalithic.co.uk. Retrieved 19 February 2015.

[3] "Protection of Antiquities Regulations 21st November, 1932 Government Notice 402 of 1932, as Amended by Government Notices 127 of 1935 and 338 of 1939". Malta Environment and Planning Authority. Archived from the original on 19 April 2016.

[4] "Buġibba". web.infinito.it. Retrieved 19 February 2015.

[5] "Bugibba Temple" (PDF). National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 February 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2015.