The first of two arches that will support the protective shelter over Mnajdra is being installed, adding a modern dimension to the megalithic monument's scenario.

Each of the Mnajdra arches has a 70-metre span, this shelter being larger than the one that will be placed over Ħaġar Qim.

All resources are focused on Mnajdra, which has been closed to the public until the tent-like structure is erected, before moving up to Ħaġar Qim.

One of the main concerns is the safety of the people working on it, Reuben Grima, Heritage Malta's senior curator for prehistoric sites said, adding that the process involved lots of manoeuvring and overhead work.

Over the past three weeks, the arch components were being fitted together in a nearby quarry and a temporary installation tower erected to safely support their weight while they are put up.

Seeing the arch in place is not a shock to the system, Dr Grima said. "It is so distinct from the setting and reads so differently that it is looking less intrusive than I had envisaged," he noted, adding that his point of view was obviously "very subjective".

Having said that, he concedes that there was "never any doubt that the shelters would read as a visual intrusion in the setting of the monuments. But soon, we will be able to judge the final results".

What is for sure is that the shelter project over the prehistoric temples was "indisputably one of the most complex projects undertaken in Malta's cultural heritage sector". Both structures are on schedule to be completed by the end of the year.