The Ġgantija (Giantess) temples are located on the Mediterranean island of Gozo, Malta.
Older than the pyramids of Egypt, the two temples are more than 5500 years old,
dating from the Neolithic period (c. 3600–2500 BC). This was a time before the invention of the wheel and metal tools.
Facing toward the south-east, and sitting at the edge of the Xagħra plateau, the Ġgantija temples comprise two temples and only the facade of a third.
The oldest of the two temples dates back to 3,600BC, while the second temple was built around four hundred years later.
Some of the megaliths of the Ġgantija Temples exceed five metres in length and weigh over fifty tons. Myths arose that giants constructed these temples in prehistoric times, and that is origin of the name.
Animal bones found
on the site hint at the possibility that animal sacrifice occurred here.
The Ġgantija, along with the other megalithic temples around Malta, are 𝗨𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗖𝗢 World Heritage Sites. The World Heritage Sites committee described these sites as "unique architectural masterpieces."
