Exhibition with a cultural tint

A temporary exhibition set up recently at the Sannat Primary School hall was intended to show the public the results attained so far from an archaeological exercise - involving both surveying and excavation - carried out in Mgarr ix-Xini Valley. The exercise is part of a wider project - the Mgarr ix-Xini Valley Regional Park Project.

This project, encompassing the whole of Mgarr ix-Xini Valley, is an initiative of the local councils of Sannat and Xewkija. The valley itself, in fact, falls within the boundaries of both localities.

Of unparalleled beauty, the valley also hosts a number of cultural features, not least a small ritual site which is being excavated by a team from the Department of Classics and Archaeology of the University of Malta and the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage.

The team is also working on the documentation and study of a number of rock-cut trough sets for which the valley is renowned.

The results gained so far formed the subject matter - in terms of both retrieved material and printed information - of the exhibition. Both survey and excavations are being sponsored by the two local councils which also sponsored the exhibition.

Following a week-long stay at Xewkija, the exhibition moved to Sannat. But instead of the usual inaugural ceremonies, three lectures introduced the audience not only to the exhibition itself, but also to the project as a whole.

As expected, emphasis was laid on the survey and excavations but the last lecture provided an overview of the entire park project.

The lectures were delivered by Dr Nicholas Vella of the Department of Classics and Archaeology, Nathanial Cutajar, Acting Superintendent of Cultural Heritage and by Architect Lino Bianco, project manager and coordinator of the regional park. Before the lectures, Dr Justyne Caruana, MP, made a short speech where she praised the initiative of the two local councils.

After the lectures, the audience was invited to view the exhibition.