Description
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The Mnajdra temple complex was built on the south west of the island,
overlookng the sea and the nearby island of Filitosa.
Although much of this temple was restored, the larger stones
are still original.
The 'Standard' Hitching point by the temple entrance.
Classic temple walls, curved inwards, as at
Hal Tarxien.
The temple has some of the best examples of 'Stone-cut
doors'.
Plus this beautifully carved 'oracle hole' in the wall -
(Note the presence of natural gaps between the stones of the wall - photo
left). The hole is carved so that on the side which 'receives' the blocking
stone the hole is smaller, less prominent and lower down
to the floor.
(Other
Holed-stones)
The marks on these stones became stylised.
The function of these 'table-shapes' or 'mushrooms'
appears to have been structural (supportive).
A close inspection of the following
photograph from the lower temple illustrates the fact that the holes were
in-fact 'drilled' and not just randomly punched as many may suspect.
Photo Credit: (www.dragonhaven.plus.com/archaeology/Mnajdra/)
This engraving from the upper temple corridor
wall is of a temple facade. The style is similar to that of other model
temples found at Hal-Tarxien and
Skorba.
The view of Fillitosa Island from Mnajdra (and
Hagar Qim).
Hancock also
makes reference to 'Father Emmanuel Magri, the first official excavator of
the Hypogeum at Hal Safleni', who 'recorded the presence, up until the
end of the nineteenth century of cart-ruts on the tiny uninhabited island of
Filfla', a small island about 5 km south of Mnajdra and
Hagar Qim
temples. He then adds that in 1912, R. N. bradley commented on cart ruts
near Hagar Qim - noting that they ran "over the precipitous edge of the
cliff towards Filfla" (2).
The
conclusion of this information is that cart-ruts once ran all the way from
Hagar Qim to Filfla across a land bridge, which has collapsed since humans
first came to the island.
Archaeo-astronomy
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It has been noticed
that at Mnajdra temple, the light of the winter solstice sunrises passes through
the trilithon entrance and aligns with one of two vertical stones set inside
the temple. (2)
This picture demonstrates how several different astronomical
orientations were built into the design of the temples.
Mnajdra.
(Temple)
