Heritage Malta

Last updated
Heritage Malta
Patrimonju Malta
Heritage Malta Logo new.jpg
Ensuring a Future to our Past
Agency overview
Formed2002
Jurisdiction Government of Malta
Headquarters Villa Bighi, Kalkara, Malta
Minister responsible
  • Hon. Owen Bonnici MP, Minister for the National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government
Agency executive
  • Mr Mario Cutajar, Chairman
Website heritagemalta.org

Heritage Malta (Maltese : Patrimonju Malta) is the Maltese national agency for museums, conservation practice and cultural heritage. Created by the Cultural Heritage Act, enacted in 2002, the national agency (along with the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage) replaced the former Museums Department. [1]

Contents

Originally Heritage Malta was entrusted with the management of museums, sites and their collections but in 2005, the agency was also charged with the take over of the former Malta Centre for Restoration to become the national agency responsible for conservation.

As the national agency responsible for museums, cultural heritage and conservation, Heritage Malta is governed by a board of directors appointed by the minister. The board is headed by a chairman and is usually appointed for successive three-year terms.

Until 2022, the logo of Heritage Malta consisted of a white uppercase Ħ on a red square. The H with stroke is a letter found only in the Maltese alphabet. In 2022, Heritage Malta changed its logo to a stylized lowercase "M" featuring a standard letter "H" in the middle, which was designed by the company BRND WGN. This new logo was noted for its similarity to that of the Hunter Museum of American Art. [2]

Sites protected by Heritage Malta

The following archaeological sites and historical buildings and structures are under the management of Heritage Malta. [3] All Maltese megalithic temples listed below are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. [4]

SiteTypeNow
Abbatija Tad-Dejr
A number of ancient paleochristian catacombs located in a plateau under the city of Rabat, near the ditch of Mdina. Dating between the late-Roman to the early-Byzantine periods, it is similar to the Hypogeum of Ħal-Saflieni, it houses one of the most important early Christian burial sites south of Rome.
The tomb consists of four highly decorated hypogeas. A church hewn in the rock with a stone altar is also located in the complex.
catacombsclosed
Borġ in-Nadur
This is a four-apsed temple enclosed by a megalithic wall, located near Birżebbuġa. It is dated to approximately the 20th century BC. "Borg in-Nadur - Ancient Temple in Malta in Mainland". The Megalithic Portal and Megalith Map. Retrieved 2007-03-01.
megalithicopen by request
Ġgantija Temples (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
Situated on the island of Gozo, Ġgantija is a megalithic temple complex dating to the Neolithic ages. It is one of the world's oldest free-standing structures, as well as one of the oldest religious structures. Built approximately in the 36th century BC, Ġgantija pre-dates Stonehenge and the Egyptian Pyramids.
megalithicopen
Għajn Tuffieħa Roman Baths
Discovered by workmen constructing a water works in 1929, the thermae at Għajn Tuffieħa is a classic landmark of Rome's domination on the Maltese Islands. Although the site is mainly in ruin, it is famous for its elaborate mosaics.
Romanclosed
Għar Dalam Cave and Museum
This cave, one kilometre north of Birżebbuġa, housed evidence of the earliest human occupation of the Maltese Islands which dates back approximately 7,400 years. Remains of earlier Ice Age animals have also been excavated and presented in the nearby museum.
The cave had an important role in World War II, when it was used first as an air-raid shelter before being used as a fuel depot.
neolithicopen
Ħaġar Qim Temples (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
Two kilometres south-west of Qrendi, Ħaġar Qim is a temple dating between the 32nd and 25th centuries BC. It is a typical example of the unique Maltese temple architecture for its time, with elaborate carvings and façades. The most famous discovery at Ħaġar Qim was a number of small "fat lady" statues, which is on display at Valletta's National Museum of Archaeology.
megalithicopen
Hypogeum of Ħal-Saflieni (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
This archaeological site is the only subterranean prehistoric temple in the world, dating to the 25th century BC. The complex comprises several dozen rooms in three levels, and was used mainly for ceremonial burials and other religious duties.
megalithicopen
Mnajdra Temples (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
Located near the Ħaġar Qim temples, Mnajdra is situated in a hollow near the cliffs of Malta's south-eastern coast. It dates to the same era as Ħaġar Qim, and its decorations and carvings are similar. It is among the best preserved archaeological sites in Malta.
megalithicopen
Skorba Temples (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
This site is a complex of two temples situated near Zebbiegħ in Mġarr. As the remains been left virtually untouched during excavations, Skorba is one of the most complete temple complexes on the island, which includes pitted floors and steps, as well as a coralline limestone slab nearly four metres high.
The first temple dates between the 36th and 32nd centuries BC with the second, more ruinous temple built approximately 600 years afterwards. There are also a number of Neolithic huts, located west of the first temple.
megalithicopen
St. Paul's Catacombs
Located at Rabat, Malta, these early tunnels and subterranean rooms were used for Christian ceremonial burials. They date back to the 3rd century and consists of a number of crypts over an area of 2,200m². [5]
catacombsopen
Salina Catacombs
Located near Salina, Naxxar, they date to the late Roman to Byzantine period and were used for early Christian rituals. [6]
catacombsopen by request
San Pawl Milqi
The largest and best preserved Roman villas in Malta is located at Burmurrad, next to and underneath a 17th-century chapel dedicated to Saint Paul. This site is open only on request.
Romanopen by request
The State Rooms
They are situated within the Grandmaster's Palace in the capital city of Valletta [7] and were part of the official residence of the Grandmaster of the Knights of Malta.
architectureopen
Ta' Ħaġrat Temples (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
Located a kilometre from Skorba Temples, it is a well-preserved complex of two temples dating between the 36th to 32nd centuries BC. Ta' Ħagrat may have been built on the site of an ancient village, for a number of pots have been excavated here. The most distinctive find here is a small limestone statue of an ancient building.
megalithicopen
Ta' Kola Windmill
Built in 1725 during the reign of the Knights of Malta by Grandmaster António Manoel de Vilhena, and then rebuilt in 1787, the windmill at Xagħra, Gozo gives visitors a taste of life in the small island during the 18th century.
architectureopen
Tal-Mintna Catacombs
As with St. Paul's Catacombs the catacombs at Tal-Mintna is an early Christian underground burial complex, located at Mqabba. It is known for its elaborate scallop-shaped decorations carved over its window tombs, as well as eight pyramidal 'lamp-holes' opposite an agape table.
catacombsopen by request
Tarxien Temples (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
These temples, which date between the 36th to 25th centuries BC, are located in the heart of Tarxien and depict a number of decorative carvings of domesticated animals carved in reliefs and the temple's altar. The site may have been used for animal sacrifices and other rituals.
megalithicopen
Tas-Silġ
This is a pair of temples near Marsaxlokk that contain the ruins of four different structures from different eras; one from the Tarxien temples period (30th to 25th centuries BC), a Bronze Age settlement, a Greco-Punic temple dedicated to Astarte and an early Christian church dating to the 4th to 6th centuries. [8]
Romanclosed

Museums run by Heritage Malta

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria, Malta</span> Town and Local council in Gozo Region, Malta

Victoria, also known among the native Maltese as Rabat or by its title Città Victoria, is an administrative unit of Malta, and the main town on Gozo. Victoria has a total population of 6,901, and by population, is the largest locality in Gozo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mdina</span> City in the Northern Region of Malta

Mdina, also known by its Italian epithets Città Vecchia and Città Notabile, is a fortified city in the Northern Region of Malta which served as the island's capital from antiquity to the medieval period. The city is still confined within its walls, and has a population of 250, but it is contiguous with the town of Rabat, which takes its name from the Arabic word for suburb, and has a population of over 11,000.

Easter is one of the most significant events in the religious and social calendar, celebrated heavily in the European country of Malta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of Malta</span>

Maltese architecture has its origins in prehistory, and some of the oldest free-standing structures on Earth – a series of megalithic temples – can be found on Malta. The islands were colonized by the Phoenicians and later the Romans, who established the cities of Melite and Gaulos. Although these were substantial settlements and are known to have had numerous temples, churches and palaces, few remains have survived apart from some architectural fragments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Districts of Malta</span>

Malta is for non-local government purposes divided into districts as opposed to the local government localities. The three main types of such districts – statistical, electoral at national level, and policing – have no mainstream administrative effect as the local councils form the first-tier – moreover only administrative tier – divisions of the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cittadella (Gozo)</span> Citadel in Victoria, Gozo, Malta

The Citadel, also known as the Castello, is the citadel of Victoria on the island of Gozo, Malta. The area has been inhabited since the Bronze Age, and the site now occupied by the Cittadella is believed to have been the acropolis of the Punic-Roman city of Gaulos or Glauconis Civitas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malta Maritime Museum</span> Maritime museum in Birgu, Malta

The Malta Maritime Museum is a maritime museum in Birgu, Malta. It is housed in the former Royal Naval Bakery, which was built in the 1840s as the main bakery for the Mediterranean Fleet. The museum has a collection of over 20,000 artifacts, and it is the largest museum on the island.

This page list topics related to Malta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarxien Temples</span> Archaeological complex in Malta

The Tarxien Temples are an archaeological complex in Tarxien, Malta. They date to approximately 3150 BC. The site was accepted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992 along with the other Megalithic temples on the island of Malta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in Malta</span> Worship of Christ in Malta

In the small Mediterranean island nation of Malta, the predominant religion is Roman Catholicism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lorenzo Gafà</span> Maltese architect

Lorenzo Gafà (1639–1703) was a Maltese Baroque architect and sculptor. He designed many churches in the Maltese Islands, including St. Paul's Cathedral in Mdina and the Cathedral of the Assumption in Victoria, Gozo. He was the younger brother of the sculptor Melchiorre Cafà.

Maltese heraldry is the design, display, and study of armorial bearings as used in the traditions of Malta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Museum of Archaeology, Malta</span> Archaeology Museum in Valletta, Malta

The National Museum of Archaeology is a Maltese museum in Valletta, with artefacts from prehistory, Phoenician times and a notable numismatic collection. It is managed by Heritage Malta.

Post codes in Malta are seven-character strings that form part of a postal address in Malta. Post codes were first introduced in 1991 by the mail operator MaltaPost. Like those in the United Kingdom and Canada, they are alphanumeric.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roads in Malta</span> Overview of the various roads in Malta

In Malta most of the main roads are in the outskirts of the localities to connect one urban area with another urban area. The most important roads are those that connect the south of the island with the northern part, like Tal-Barrani Road, Aldo Moro Street in Marsa and Birkirkara Bypass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fortifications of Malta</span> Defensive military constructions of the Maltese archipelago

The fortifications of Malta consist of a number of walled cities, citadels, forts, towers, batteries, redoubts, entrenchments and pillboxes. The fortifications were built over hundreds of years, from around 1450 BC to the mid-20th century, and they are a result of the Maltese islands' strategic position and natural harbours, which have made them very desirable for various powers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giovanni Pietro Francesco Agius de Soldanis</span> Maltese lawyer, historian, and linguist (1712–1770)

Canon Giovanni Pietro Francesco Agius de Soldanis, often called de Soldanis, was a Maltese linguist, historian and cleric from the island of Gozo. He wrote the first lexicon and systematic grammar of the Maltese language, and he was the first librarian of the Bibliotheca Publica, the precursor of the National Library of Malta.

Stefano Erardi (1630–1716) was a Maltese painter whose works may be found in many churches around the Maltese Islands. His style has been described as either late Mannerist or Baroque.

References

  1. Gambin, Timmy; Sausmekat, Maja; Kovacevic, Darko (2021-10-13). "The Innovative and State of the Art Public Access Management of Malta's Underwater Cultural Heritage". Heritage. 4 (4): 3365–3381. doi: 10.3390/heritage4040187 . ISSN   2571-9408.
  2. "Similarities of new Heritage Malta logo to others flagged days before launch". 29 May 2022.
  3. "Pdf file". Maltese Parliament Online. Retrieved 18 March 2010.[ permanent dead link ]
  4. "Malta - UNESCO World Heritage Centre". UNESCO. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
  5. "Rabat - St Paul Catacombs". PlanetWare. Retrieved 2007-03-01.
  6. "Tombs Types in Roman Malta". Archived from the original on 2007-06-06. Retrieved 2007-03-01.
  7. "Valletta - A City Built By Gentlemen for Gentlemen". Archived from the original on 2007-08-26. Retrieved 2007-03-01.
  8. "Marsaxlokk - Tas-Silg". PlanetWare. Retrieved 2007-03-01.