Bid to save Tarxien Temples and make them more accessible

Environmental monitoring equipment will soon be set up at Tarxien Temples to obtain a clear picture of the changing environmental conditions causing the site's deterioration.

In parallel, another exercise will soon be launched to map out the present state of conservation of the site to help experts determine its rate of deterioration.

This process is just the beginning of an eight-year project aimed at ensuring that these prehistoric remains are made more easily accessible and preserved for future generations.

The entire project is still in the stage of an outline proposal which was drawn up following an agreement between Bank of Valletta, which is pumping Lm190,000 in the project, and Heritage Malta, which is endeavouring to raise more funding.

The draft proposal has been circulated to the main stakeholders, including the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, the Malta Tourism Authority, the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, ICOMOS Malta and the Tarxien council.

Tarxien Temples curator Reuben Grima said the idea was to have as wide a consultation as possible before work started on this Unesco world heritage site.

One of the proposals is to build a shelter to offer protection against the main agents of weathering, namely the rain and sun. The fact that the idea of a protective shelter is a difficult and controversial issue is being acknowledged and a lot of attention is being given to this matter.

Another venture is the construction of a visitors' centre which apart from the basic facilities, such as toilets, retail outlets and catering, would also have a permanent exhibition providing information before visitors move on to see the temples.

This exhibition would include static information on panels, free-standing showcases for artefacts and interactive audio-visual facilities.

One possibility is that this area will also accommodate the large sculptures and decorative elements which were originally excavated at Tarxien but are presently displayed at the National Museum of Archaeology, in Valletta.

The intention is that the project will include better signposting to the site and improved parking facilities for the over 100,000 visitors who flock to see the site every year.

Mr Grima is hoping that the development permits will be issued by next year so that work can start in earnest.

A lot of care and attention is being given to any development since the temples are situated bang in a residential area.

The remains were discovered in 1913 when farmers were ploughing a field and realised they had struck large blocks of stone. They immediately informed Sir Temi Zammit, who was just completing the excavations at the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, and he excavated the Tarxien Temples between 1915 and 1919.

The excavations exposed the south temple of the Tarxien complex, the cemetery, which was created over the ruins in the Early Bronze Age, and, subsequently, the central, east and early temples.

Further limited excavations were conducted in various parts of the complex between 1921 and 1958. Then, in 1997 the Museums Department held more excavations which brought to light further megalithic elements.

The evidence from Tarxien is still one of the most important known indications of the circumstances in which the Temple Culture came to an end, eventually being replaced by the Bronze Age culture.

The outline proposal of the Bank of Valletta Tarxien Temples Project can be accessed at www.heritagemalta.org.