Girgenti cave complex

With reference to the letter Keep Girgenti Caves Clean (May 30), the Ghar il-Kbir cave-settlement is located within an expanse of garigue landscape more aptly know as Misrah Ghar il-Kbir. As an archaeologist specialising in the rural Late Mediaeval archaeological heritage of Malta, I have extensively studied the cave complex, which till around the turn of the 19th century was still used for the purpose of human habitation. It is one of the best documented troglodytic sites of the Maltese Islands, and when visited in the 1640s by Gian Francesco Abela, the settlement housed 117 people whom he described as being pastori e pecorai.

Being one of Malta's more important troglodytic settlements was not enough to prevent the site from falling into a shameful state of disrepair, and from halting Upper Coralline Limestone quarrying works, which at a distance of around 50 metres from the western end of Ghar il-Kbir, have encroached dangerously onto the site. During the past three decades Ghar il-Kbir has suffered from numerous acts of vandalism, sometimes brought about by campers who, probably unaware of the importance of the remains, dismantle the rubble walls and light bonfires within the caves. The rubble walls were erected by the former cave inhabitants in order to screen the caves' entrance and partition their interior into separate rooms.

Whilst visiting Ghar il-Kbir a few weeks ago, I noticed that rubble wall restoration works have been carried out during the past months. Maintenance works have mainly involved the re-building of the cave screening rubble walls, the height of which has in some instances been substantially increased. The entity/organisation involved in the carrying out of these works remains so far unknown to me, but if carried out by untrained personnel, or without the necessary supervision, the removal of stone and soil deposits within one of the upper level caves is a reason for concern. Ghar il-Kbir has never been subjected to sub-surface archaeological investigation, and the removal of archaeological potential deposits will result in an irreparable loss of knowledge and data.