Winter Solstice at Mnajdra Temples

Heritage Malta invites you to experience the annual Winter Solstice Sunrise at one of its most picturesque sites, Mnajdra Temples. Welcome the winter season on 21st December by joining us to watch sunrise at one of our unique Neolithic temples.

The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year and is the first day of winter. At  Mnajdra Temples, one of the Neolithic Temples built during the 4th and 3rd millennia BC, the South Temple was constructed to mark the position of the rising sun on the first day of each season. Visitors at Mnajdra will marvel at sunrise as the sun’s rays light up the very edge of a megalith found along the passage connecting the first pair of chambers to the inner chambers. Considering that the people who built the temples were farmers and their livelihood depended on agriculture, the changing seasons probably had a special significance. It therefore cannot be excluded that the winter solstice was a time for gatherings and celebrations.

In a bid to provide an enhanced experience for visitors, Heritage Malta is offering limited places to experience this phenomenon. Interested parties can purchase their tickets from all Heritage Malta museums and sites or online from Heritage Malta’s website http://shop.heritagemalta.org/ for the price of €25 per person and €15 for Heritage Malta members. Participants will meet at the Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra Visitor Centre at 5.45am.

Afterwards there will be a tour of the Visitor Centre and refreshments.