World Heritage sites magazine for readers of The Times
Malta is 'an open-air museum'
When a four-centimetre-high model of a megalithic structure was unearthed at Ta' Ħaġrat Temples in Mġarr it supported the theory that the ancient buildings were originally roofed over.
Notwithstanding the model's minuscule size, the detail allowed researchers to get an insight into how these fascinating temples were built.
The centuries may have worn these majestic structures but they did not dampen their historic value as, between 1980 and 1992, six temples were declared Unesco World Heritage sites. These were Ġgantija, Tarxien, Mnajdra, Ħaġar Qim, Ta' Ħaġrat and Skorba in Mġarr.
Readers will be able to know more about these temples through the first of 12 magazines from the Miranda 360° Collection, which will be distributed with The Times tomorrow.
The first issue is dedicated to Malta's three World Heritage sites: the temples, the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum and the city of Valletta.
The collection marks the 20th anniversary of Miranda Publishers that have produced a series of 360° books aimed at reviving the glorious history, heritage and culture of the Maltese islands through well-researched articles.
The content is brought to life by captivating images mostly taken by Italian photographer Enrico Formica who described Malta as "an open-air museum".
To celebrate this 20-year achievement, Miranda teamed up with The Times to produce a serialised synopsis of the 360° series in 12 monthly magazines to give the public a one-time opportunity, Miranda's marketing director Eddie Aquilina said.
"These are not like other magazines as they will not be produced again... They contain very useful information collected by scholars. I suggest that people get hold of two copies of the magazine so that they can collect one and use the other, for example, for children's school projects," he said.
The second issue, out on April 30, will be about the museums of Malta. Other issues will delve into other angles of the island such as Malta by Night, Gozo and Comino, Underground Malta and Welcome Malta to Europe. They reflect the content of Miranda Publishers' books that sell for about €95.
The magazines will be out once a month, on a Thursday, for the next year. On that day, the price of The Times will increase from 60c to €1. Each issue will remind readers when the next issue will be out.
Michel Rizzo, managing director of MediaMaker, said the company wanted to provide readers with content that added value to the newspaper.
"In a constantly evolving media environment, we are always exploring new ways of giving added value to customers. This series of prestigious and highly collectable publications is proof of this and clearly sets the path for similar initiatives in future," he said.