Two megaliths at Tarxien to be moved indoors

Preparations are being made to move two megaliths at Tarxien into the visitors' building in order to continue work on their preservation.

The preservation work, by Heritage Malta, is part of the BOV Tarxien Temples Project.

These megaliths bear witness to the vessels that transported the very first people to the Maltese islands and may be the oldest representations of ships or boats ever discovered. The temples, dating back to 3,600BC, hold a number of works of art consisting of megaliths carved to depict various animals, spirals and other intricate designs. The majority of artworks were moved to the National Museum of Archaeology in 1956 to prevent deterioration. The ship graffiti megaliths were not removed then, as their state of preservation appeared to be good.