MALTA: THE HALTING PLACE 01/ NATIONS 



Photograph by W. A. Griffiths 



THE SOLID SILVER GATES 0E ST. JOHN'S CHURCH: MALTA 



When Napoleon stopped at the island on his way to Egypt he expelled the Knights of 

 Malta, confiscating their property and that of the Church. These silver gates were hastily 

 painted, in the hope that they would escape notice, but in vain. They were subsequently 

 redeemed at a great price. 



named was discovered very recently and 

 is only partly excavated. The unique 

 underground temple of Hal Saflieni be- 

 longs in a class to itself. 



THE GENERAL DESIGN OE MALTA'S PRE- 

 HISTORIC TEMPLES 



The general design of the temples con- 

 sists of two oval or elliptical apses con- 

 nected along the lesser axes by passages, 

 at the far end of which is generally 

 found the principal altar or object of 

 worship. 



The passageways appear to have been 

 covered over with fiat slabs and the oval 

 chambers on each side domed, the corbel- 

 ing of the walls being very strongly 

 marked. 



The compass direction of the passages 

 leading to the principal altar varies in 

 each temple, which was built to suit local 

 topography. There does not appear to 

 be any evidence of orientation or sugges- 

 tion that the altars faced any special 



heavenly body. The majority face south 

 or southeast. 



The ruins of Hagar Kim ("Standing 

 Stones") crown a barren, rocky hill 1 oil 

 the south side of Malta, about a mile 

 from the shore. The little islet of Filfla 

 alone breaks the wide expanse of deep 

 Mediterranean blue. 



Large numbers of massive stones, some 

 weighing several tons, were placed on 

 end, side by side, each being joined to 

 the next with great skill. On top of 

 these were placed horizontal layers of 

 flat stones, mortised together with great 

 accuracy. 



One pillar rises conspicuously above 

 the ruined walls. Near it, on the out- 

 side, is an altar erected before a sacred 

 stone, while a small hole pierces the wall 

 to communicate with an inner sanctuary 

 and through which the priest or priestess 

 possibly consulted the oracle. 



The top of the tall pillar is hollow and 

 shaped like a grave, and theorists sug- 

 gest that possibly here infants were sac- 



