Malta holidays attract travellers from all walks of life: those wanting to stretch out on a beach or dance the night away are well catered for. However, many visitors are also looking to get in touch with Malta’s ancient roots. This little island is the home of no less than nine UNESCO World Heritage sites! Malta has lots to offer to those who’d rather soak up the lessons of thousands of years of history than the sun’s rays. Here’s a brief guide to just two of Malta’s most fascinating World Heritage sites.
Malta’s capital is a fascinating city – Valletta is tightly connected to pretty much every major event in Malta’s military history and is also linked to the charitable Order of St John of Jerusalem. It has a chequered history of rule, having been battled over by a huge number of ancient world powers throughout its lifetime, giving it a patchwork look of different architectural styles. It houses over 320 monuments squeezed into a mere 55 hectares, making it one of the world’s most concentrated historic areas.
Despite being one of its younger monuments, one of Valletta’s most spectacular is the 10 tonne bronze Great Siege Bell memorial on the harbour. Visitors to the Great Siege Bell and Valletta’s other monuments are welcomed, but are urged not to feed resident pigeons as their droppings damage these historic wonders.
The Hypogeum is undoubtedly one of the world’s most valuable prehistoric sites. The start of building work on the Hypogeum has be dated back to 3600 BC. The Hypogeum consists of a winding array of halls, chambers and passages three floors deep that have been hewn from the rock beneath the earth. The Hypogeum is thought to have begun life as a sanctuary before being repurposed as a necropolis: the remains of over 7,000 ancient people have been discovered there since excavation work began in 1902. Knowing this, the deeper you travel into the Hypogeum the more history will seem to come alive as you breathe in the same air as the Hypogeum’s builders.
The Hypogeum’s preservation rests upon a tightly controlled micro-environment created by its carers and so only 80 visitors are allowed in at a time. Due to this, tours can be booked up weeks in advance, so be sure to phone ahead before visiting.