ISSA2007 Malta

Blue Grotto and Limestone

Discover the southern part of Malta. After visiting the fishing villages of Marsaxlokk and Birzebbugia we proceed to the fabled Blue Grotto where there will be the possibility of admiring the grottos from close by (Boat price not included - weather permitting). Lunch is served in one of the picturesque villages. Tarxien Temples is a group of three temples that due to their very good state provide evidence of the skill and artistic abilities of our forefathers. Our day comes to an end when you will be guided through the cave of Ghar Dalam, one of the first habitats of these islands.

Tarxien temples were discovered in 1914 by local farmers who struck large stone blocks while ploughing a field. Their discovery was reported to Sir Temistocles Zammit, Malta’s first director of museums, who excavated the site in 1915-17. His pioneering work put our understanding of Maltese prehistory on a solid foundation.

This site, dating from 3600 to 2500 BC, is the most complex of all temple sites in Malta and consists of four megalithic structures. The temples are renowned for the detail of their carvings, which include domestic animals carved in relief, altars, and screens decorated with spiral designs and other patterns. Of particular note is a chamber set into the thickness of the wall between the South and Central temples, which is famous for its relief of two bulls and a sow.

The site seems to have been used extensively for rituals, which probably involved animal sacrifice. Tarxien is also of great interest because it offers an insight into how the temples were constructed: stone rollers left outside the south temple were probably used for transporting the megaliths. Remains of cremation have also been found at the centre of the South temple at Tarxien, which indicates that the site was reused as a Bronze Age cremation cemetery.

The Blue Grotto, known as Il-Hnejja (meaning 'The Arch') in Maltese, was given its English name by a British soldier who thought it similar enough to Grotta Azzuzza (The Blue grotto) in Capri to deserve the same name. A trip to the Blue Grotto is high on the list of most people's itineraries, and with good reason. Located near Zurrieq in southwest Malta, an area famous for its rocky coastline, the natural sea caves are very appealing.

The boat travelling to The Blue Grotto enters under an immense arch into a 140ft high cave cut into the rock face. The system consists of six caves carved by years of relentless pounding by the sea, of which the Blue Grotto is the largest and most impressive. The water seems an impossible cobalt colour as the sky reflects off the white sand bottom. The caves sparkle both with blue reflections of the sea and orange, purple and green of the various minerals present in the rocks.