The HYPOGEUM, which is situated in Paola, a few distance away from the Tarxien Temples, was discovered surprisingly by workmen digging at about 3.5 m under the road surface. The word Hypogeum comes from the Greek word "Ipogaina", which means, "an underground construction sunk into the solid rock."

The Hypogeum is a UNESCO World Heritage site like the other temples in Malta.

This underground temple is made up from a set of rooms and caves dug by Copper - Age people, most probably between the years 4100 B.C. and 2500 B.C. At the beginning of its existence, the Hypogeum was used as a temple or sanctuary. HOW DO WE KNOW? What evidence do we have? We know this due to its architectural resemblance to the freestanding Megalithic Temples outside. However the greatest evidence we have, are the several statuettes of the Fat Lady, their goddess of Fertility. A big statue of a "sleeping Lady" was also found in this temple.

The Hypogeum was later used as cemetery or burial place HOW DO WE KNOW? What evidence do we have? We got to know this by the discovery of some 7,000 human bones found in it. The dead people were found buried with their personal belongings. These where mostly beads made from shells and amulets made up of drilled fossil teeth of animals. However no metal remains were found in the Hypogeum. The pottery found in the Hypogeum is very refined and graceful in shape. Thus, the Neolithic people who lived in the time that the Hypogeum was built, had already reached a high standard of culture, probably the best attained in Neolithic times. Originally, the walls were painted red and the paint is still visible in several places. On the walls there are spiral patterns, which symbolise eternity and fertility. There are also circle patterns, which symbolise the sun and life itself. The Hypogeum surely shows a contradiction since the statuette of the Fat Lady (a statuette of "The sleeping Woman" was found in the Hypogeum), which symbolises the giving of life, was accompanying the dead!!

Apparently, the underground monument has been for ages sealed up by natural agenices, and its fame sunk with it into oblivion along with its archaeological treasures.

In 1903 the excavations yielded, on the very surface, some coins of the Knights of St John, showing that in the eighteenth century some sort of access was gained in a corner, of the Hypogeum.

The fragility of the monument's microclimate and the prospect of irreversible damage, demanded action by UNESCO supported specialists and Maltese professionals. The result has been a long conservation and management project that has materialized over a long period of more than a decade. The focus of this project is the creation of a life support system  that is designed to manage and limit visitor flow, enable a controlled use of lighting, a support a system of buffer zones that will protect a stabilize the Hypogeum's fragile interior micro-climate. The project puts Malta at the forefront in the development of proper management and monitoring plans for inscribed World Heritage sites.



1.Ghar Dalam & Skorba - 2.The arrival of Pre-Historic people in Malta - 3.Neolithic life in Malta - 4.The temple construction 5. The Shape of the Temples - 6. The Location of the major Temples - 7.Ta' Hagrat Temple - 8.Ggantija Temple - 9.Hagar Qim Temple 10. Imnajdra Temple - 11. The Hypogeum - 12. Tarxien Temples - 13. Borg in-Nadur Temple - 14. Other minor Megalithic Temple remains 15. Frequently Asked Questions - 16.Worksheets - 17.The Young Historians - 18.Bibliography - 19.Links