A decade after scientists highlighted the need to shelter the Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra temples to ensure their survival, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday inaugurated the completed project.
“Apart from giving our country a prominent role in studying the progress of mankind, these temples also give us an important position on the tourist attraction map,” Dr Gonzi said during the official opening ceremony for the €4.7 million EU-funded project, overseen by Heritage Malta.
During the event which was broadcast on TVM, the state channel, Dr Gonzi also passed through the visitors’ centre, a steel structure built in the car park which had sparked some controversy, with some organisations concerned it would have a negative impact on the temples and surrounding landscape.
The decision to install the shelters goes back to 2000, when a team of scientists proposed sheltering the temples following an intensive study.
The experts had identified a number of threats to the integrity of the prehistoric stone temples, namely rain, fluctuations in temperature and humidity.
The experts proposed that the temples should be protected by temporary shelters, with a 25-to-30-year life span, which would buy more time for the experts to come up with a solution for the long-term preservation of the sites.
Following an international design competition, won by an Italian company, a preliminary permit was approved by the planning authority in 2004.
However, works only started in 2008 after the authority cleared archaeological investigations. Yesterday, Dr Gonzi pointed out that the temples, which have been declared a World a Heritage Site, had a strong cultural, artistic and touristic value for Malta.
Now that the project had been completed, he said, a nature trail would be established to help visitors understand the quality of the landscape that surrounds the temples.
Tarxien megalithic temples to get Ħaġar Qim treatment
The megalithic temples in Tarxien are to be shielded from the elements with a tent-like structure similar to the ones installed at Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra temples.
Unlike those protective coverings, which feature stretched fabric, however, the Tarxien structure will have an undulating metal mesh covered by translucent glass fibre membrane.
The construction of the shelter, which will have a footprint of around 2,700 square metres, has long been a controversial issue, especially because of the visual impact it might have on the temple.
But for hundreds of years, the temples, which enjoy World Heritage site status, have been damaged by the elements and ground humidity.
Yesterday, the planning authority unanimously approved plans for the shelter which will help protect it. The application was submitted by Heritage Malta.
Architect Alex Torpiano, who presented the project, explained that several designs had been submitted and discarded for being too heavy, before finally choosing the lattice.
“The lattice shell structure allows for curvature so it softens the design, making it a light structure,” he explained to the board.
The shelter will be anchored by metal support structures and these would have the largest physical impact, Mr Torpiano said. In fact, the project is largely reversible.
The project was recommended for approval precisely because of its reversibility and the protection offered. The case officer pointed out that the visual impact of the temples was already “heavily compromised” by the urbanisation of the area, especially by the nearby church.
But the final shape of the lattice shell will only be determined after the position of the support structures is established and once wind simulation studies are carried out. The studies, for example, will ensure that no air pockets are created beneath. Any changes will have to be approved by the planning authority and the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage.
The works will be monitored by the Superintendence to make sure the site is not damaged and in case any undocumented archaeological remains are found.
The Tarxien temples were uncovered by Sir Temi Zammit between 1915 and 1919 after farmers who tilled their fields there informed him that they were constantly striking large blocks of stone.
The complex is made up of four separate but attached temple structures and is visited by around 100,000 people a year.
A statue of the fat lady was discovered on site along with stone etchings and graffiti of ships believed to be the oldest in the world.
Author: Juan Ameen | Source: The Times of Malta [September 24, 2010]