Mnajdra

Mnajdra (Maltese: L-Imnajdra) is a megalithic temple complex found on the southern coast of the Mediterranean island of Malta.

The main structural systems used in the temples are corbelling with smaller stones, and post and lintel construction using large slabs of limestone.

The lowest temple, built in the early Tarxien phase, is the most impressive and possibly the best example of Maltese megalithic architecture.

It has a large forecourt containing stone benches, an entrance passage covered by horizontal slabs, one of which has survived, and the remains of a possibly domed roof.

[11] One of the stones displays a lot of drilled holes arranged in different right-aligned rows that can be linked to several periods determined by the moon.

[16] Mnajdra was vandalized on 13 April 2001, when at least three people armed with crowbars toppled or broke about 60 megaliths, and inscribed graffiti on them.

[19] The 1, 2 and 5 cent Maltese euro coins, minted since 2008, bear a representation of the Mnajdra temples on their obverse side.

Anthropologist Kathryn Rountree has explored how "Malta’s neolithic temples", including Ġgantija, "have been interpreted, contested and appropriated by different local and foreign interest groups: those working in the tourist industry, intellectuals and Maltese nationalists, hunters, archaeologists, artists, and participants in the global Goddess movement.

Upper temple panoramic
Low temple panoramic
Dressed limestone
Sketch of the rows of holes on the calendar stone of Mnajdra
The temple complex