Visitors can walk straight into the heart of Gozo’s ancient prehistoric temples of Ġgantija on two new lightweight walkways that allow a higher and better view of the structures.

Built with a €200,000 investment by the Vodafone Malta Foundation, the walkway includes interpretation panels in the railing design to help visitors understand the prehistoric temples and the entire complex.

The project, inaugurated yesterday by Environment Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco, includes an interactive digital and virtual tour of Ġgantija.

An environmental monitoring station has also been installed at the temples to monitor environmental elements and the site has been made safer with the installation of a remote security system.

Dr de Marco pointed out that Malta’s heritage was so important everyone had the responsibility to safeguard it for present and future generations.

“This is a responsibility which not only the public sector through Heritage Malta is committed to, but we are today witnessing the private sector’s commitment towards our heritage,” he said.

The number of visitors to Ġgantija in 2010 reached 142,483 and, in the first four months of this year, it had the highest visitor numbers of all Heritage Malta sites, amounting to 44,436.

The Ġgantija temples were built at around 3,500 BC and are believed to be among the very first free standing structures in the world. The complex consists of two megalithic temples surrounded by a common boundary wall. The larger temple was the first to be built.

The site was first excavated by Colonel John Otto Bayer in 1827. The gigantic ruins were for a long time associated with a mysterious race of giants, eventually giving rise to the name of the site derived from ġgant, meaning giant.

The location is scheduled as a Class A site of archaeological importance, designated as an archaeological park in the Gozo and Comino Local Plan, and has a minimum buffer zone of 100 metres.

Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono attended the event.