Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum

The remarkable underground burial structure known as the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum is a testament to a civilisation that has since vanished. Between the years 4000 and 1500 B.C., people used it. It was one of the earliest Maltese entries on the UNESCO World Heritage List, along with the Gantija Megalithic Site, and it covered an impressive 500 square meters.

On top of a hill in Paola, not far from the Grand Harbour, is where you’ll find the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum. In the year 1902, a stone mason who was working on the foundations of several different homes made the fortuitous discovery while doing his job. When the Hypogeum was discovered, the majority of the homes had already been built and were in a state where they could be inhabited. As a direct result of this, the monument’s upper level was left with damage that is irreparable. By the end of 1903, the land had been donated to the public sector, and excavation on the site continued until 1911.

The excavation of the site produced a significant amount of archaeological artefacts, including as carved animal figurines of varying sizes, human bones, ceramics, and personal adornment items. The Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum is an extraordinary structure that was carved out of globigerina limestone and has a series of halls, chambers, and passageways. The structure is excavated on three distinct levels: the upper level, the middle level, and the lower level. As space at the site became more constrained, the users delved deeper into the ground.

The upper level is made out of a wide depression that has a tunnel running through the middle of it with burial chambers dug into either side. In one of the rooms, there are original burial deposits that have been preserved. Some of the chambers on the intermediate level have a smooth finishing that makes them reminiscent of the interiors of above-ground megalithic buildings. The chamber that is the deepest on the lower level is the one that is 10.6 meters below road level and has four side niches.

This one-of-a-kind structure was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1981 as a site that provides a one-of-a-kind testament to a civilisation that is no longer in existence (criterion iii).