Go back to your origins at Għar Dalam and Borġ in-Nadur on Independence Day

Heritage Malta is inviting the public to experience Għar Dalam and Borġ in-Nadur on Wednesday 21st September, a national holiday. On the day of the event, entitled Back to the Origins on Independence Day, four pre-booked tours will take place – two at Għar Dalam and another two at Borġ in-Nadur – and both sites will be open at a reduced admission price.

Għar Dalam is Malta’s oldest prehistoric site, engaging visitors to step back in time. Rows of ancient animal bones, unearthed from Għar Dalam cave, are exhibited in the Joseph Baldacchino Hall, which still retains one of a handful of Victorian style displays in Europe. Even more bones of Ice Age animals are still visible inside the cave itself. Għar Dalam is also renowned for its ecological value and forms part of the Natura 2000 network of protected sites.

Borġ in-Nadur is just 500 metres away down the road from Għar Dalam. It was in use during the late Neolithic Period and the Bronze Age (3,000-700 B.C.). In the latter period, the structure was adapted and used in a domestic setting. Excavated in the 1920s by Margaret Murray, the Neolithic area of Borġ in-Nadur yielded crucial information that helped our understanding of facets of Maltese prehistory which had, until then, remained problematic, such as the differences between the Neolithic Period and the Bronze Age.

The guided tours on the 21st of September will be conducted as follows: At Għar Dalam there will be a tour in Maltese at 9.30am and a tour in English at 1.00pm. At Borġ in-Nadur there will be a tour in Maltese at 11.00am and a tour in English at 2.30pm. From 9.00am till 1.00pm at Għar Dalam there will be a table with a selection of bones unearthed from the cave. John J. Borg, Heritage Malta’s Senior Curator for Natural History, will be ready to answer any questions about them and about other discoveries made at Għar Dalam along the years.

The Borġ in-Nadur tours will not include the recently-acquired plot of land beneath a part of which lie the remains of a Bronze Age Village. Comfortable walking shoes are strongly advised for the tours. Some parts of the tours may pose a challenge for persons with mobility issues.

Those wishing to join a guided tour need to pre-book a ticket, available from all Heritage Malta museums and sites and online on www.heritagemalta.org/store. Tour tickets also cover admission to both sites. Tickets cost €3 for adults, students and seniors. Children up to 11 years of age do not require a ticket and will be admitted for tours along with their paying guardians. Heritage Malta members will be admitted free of charge but still need to acquire tickets at any Heritage Malta museum or site or by sending an email to info@heritagemalta.org, quoting their membership number.

For those who wish to visit Għar Dalam and Borġ in-Nadur on the day but are not interested in the guided tours, admission tickets will only be available at the door at Għar Dalam. Both sites will be open from 9.00am till 4.30pm.

More information may be obtained here: https://heritagemalta.org/whats-on/