Hal Saflieni Hypogeum

Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, Malta

The Hypogeum was discovered in 1902 when workers drilling a cistern broke through the ceiling of the upper chambers. The workmen who initially found it reportedly resealed the hole and continued working for several months before reporting it to authorities. This caused considerable distress among archaeologists: whatever was done with the cistern in those months, and whatever was disturbed, is lost. The site was then excavated by Themistocles Zammit from 1905 to 1909; his excavation notes are the primary record of what the undisturbed upper levels contained.

The complex was carved between approximately 3600 and 2400 BCE, older than the Pyramids at Giza, older than Stonehenge, and among the oldest man-made underground structures in the world. It was used as both a temple and a burial site; the remains of approximately 7,000 people were found during excavation.

It’s also genuinely difficult to visit. Visitor numbers are capped at 80 per day to protect the environment, the CO₂ and humidity from human breath have previously caused damage to the ochre paintings on the walls. Tickets must be booked weeks or months in advance through heritagemalta.org. Walk-up entry is not available. This is not an exaggeration.

The Visit

A guided tour lasts about 45 minutes. Three levels of chambers are accessible, carved at different periods. The lowest level, the most ancient, holds the “Holy of Holies”, a carved niche with a trefoil design that may have had astronomical alignments. The Oracle Room has acoustic properties that have been studied: a low male voice resonates throughout the complex in a way that higher voices do not. The ochre paintings (spirals and other designs) are visible in some areas.

Photography is not permitted inside. Bags must be left in lockers. The temperature is constant at around 20°C.

Paola and Nearby Sites

The Hypogeum is in Paola, a town in the southern part of Malta, accessible by bus from Valletta in about 20-30 minutes. The Tarxien Temples, a five-minute walk away, are the remains of four megalithic temples dating to 3100-2500 BC, not underground, and significantly less atmospheric, but part of the same prehistoric cultural complex.

Malta

Valletta, the capital, is a 16th-century walled city of remarkable density, the entire city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. St John’s Co-Cathedral holds Caravaggio’s largest painting (The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, 3.6 metres by 5.2 metres, painted in 1608 during his time hiding in Malta). Entry around €15. The Grand Harbour view from the Upper Barrakka Gardens is one of the best harbour views in the Mediterranean.

Mdina, the silent medieval walled city in the centre of the island, is worth an afternoon. The town of Marsaxlokk in the south has a Sunday fish market and the best seafood restaurants on the island. Lampuki (mahi-mahi) is the local speciality in season (September-November).