New Exhibition Marks A Century Of Safeguarding Malta’s Heritage

Press Release│ 8 October 2025

Heritage Malta has unveiled a new exhibition at the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta, marking 100 years since the first law protecting Malta’s heritage. The display reveals how the island’s ancient past came to be recognised as a national treasure worthy of preservation. The exhibition runs until the end of January 2026.

Titled ‘From Destruction to Preservation: Towards the Antiquities Protection Act (1925)’, this latest entry in the Espresso series examines the key developments that led to the law which laid the foundations for heritage protection in Malta.

By the turn of the 20th century, Malta’s archaeological sites were increasingly threatened by unregulated excavations and trade in antiquities. Early preservation efforts, including the founding of the national museum in 1903 under Dr Themistocles Zammit, helped establish the institutional framework and public awareness that ultimately enabled first the 1910 Protection of Antiquities Ordinance and later the 1925 Antiquities Protection Act.

The exhibition features rare documents from the National Archives and photographs from the museum’s own archive, including documentation of the now-destroyed Kerċem Neolithic site in Gozo and the Buqana site. As a result of the 1910 Protection of Antiquities Ordinance, the latter was in fact the first Neolithic burial ground discovered after the celebrated Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum which was systematically recorded. Nevertheless, damage to other sites, such as at Mtarfa, revealed the shortcomings of that ordinance, underscoring the need for stronger, more comprehensive legislation.

By revisiting these crucial milestones, the exhibition invites visitors to reflect on a century of heritage management and on Malta’s enduring commitment to protecting its cultural legacy.

The exhibition remains open until the 31st of January 2026. Until the end of October, the exhibition opens daily from 09:00 till 19:00, and subsequent times will be available on https://heritagemalta.mt/opening-hours/. Admission is free, and the exhibition space is fully accessible.

An illustrated catalogue complements this exhibition – available at the museum and through Heritage Malta’s online store here.