Malta: For History and Archaeology Lovers

Styled after a Greek temple, this monument was erected in 1810 in honor of Alexander Ball, a British navel officer, was instrumental in helping Malta become a protectorate of the British Empire.

UPDATED: 2/5/2023

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When we booked our trip to Malta, we did so on a whim after just about an hour doing online research. Why did we book this trip on a whim? Because we found an amazing flight deal, which is as good a reason as any, right?! But in that hour of research, what sold us that Malta was worth visiting were the number of historically and archaeologically important sites scattered around the island and the role the island itself had played in important events of history.

Malta is a lot of things to a lot of people. It is (we hear) a great place for diving and snorkeling, for beach bumming, and other activities. It is, above all, a beautiful country with it’s stark limestone buildings whose colors shift as the sun rises and falls each day, placed against the bright blue Mediterranean Sea. It has a fascinating culture with influences from Europe and Africa as well as uniquely Mediterranean elements. It has its own language, a rare Semitic language. What Malta has in spades are endless sites to appeal to all the other travelers who, like us, love history and archaeology. If these topics interest you, then this blog will help orient you with many of the sites that you will enjoy while in the country.

In this blog, we’ll provide a (brief) overview of Maltese history that provides the framework for these sites, book recommendations to help bring the country to life for you, and specific spots to visit in Malta that provide a window into its past.

Relaxing at the Lower Barrakka Gardens you can look across the water to see the medieval castle Fort St. Angelo

Malta’s Place in Pre-History and History

For these tiny islands of Malta (Malta, Gozo, and Comino are the main three of the archipelago) to have emerged as anything other than unimportant specks in the Mediterranean Sea is somewhat astounding. For them to have emerged time and time again as an important spot throughout history is even less likely, except for one key factor. As they say in real estate - location, location, location. The Mediterranean has long been the cradle of human activity, and Malta has found itself right in the middle of action.

Between some of the first notable activity that can be traced to Malta in about 5000 BCE to the present day is a span of about 7,000 years, during which many generations have come and gone from the island. It would be a huge endeavor to cover everything that happened along the way, and so for purposes of this blog post, the goal is to introduce you to three main periods where Malta’s history made a particularly heavy impact and has left sites or buildings that can be visited when visiting the country today. Below, we’ll recommend a book per period that we have read and helps bring it to life, share an overview of the history, and recommend sites that encapsulate each era. This is not a comprehensive guide but covers the history and archaeology focused sites we saw during our week in Malta (with a couple of days spent on Gozo and the rest on the main island of Malta), which means you should be able to visit all of these sites and more in that amount of time.

Malta’s Temple Builders (Pre-history Malta from 5000 BCE to 2500 BCE)

Malta is strewn with ancient megalithic temples dating from 3600 BCE to 2500 BCE. This is the Tarxien Temples, a 6 apse plan and one of the largest temple complexes.

If comprehending what life was like 7,000 years ago in 5000 BCE is as difficult for you as it is for me, then it probably makes sense to take a minute to ground us in what was going on in the world around the year 5000 BCE. At this period, the concept of agriculture was relatively new, having emerged in modern-day France around 800 years before. People in modern-day China had been planting seeds for only about 500 years, and the first farming communities were only just starting to emerge in today’s Central Europe, minor splitting away from the tradition of hunters-gatherers. The very first metal tools were developed right around the year 5000 BCE in what is Germany today. The Sahara in Africa is a grassland with fish and rivers and lakes and will remain so for another 800 years until it begins desertification around 4200 BCE. By the end of the Temple Builders period in Malta in around the year 2500 BCE, the Sumerians will have emerged as a civilization who developed writing and near the end of this period, the Minoan civilization emerged on modern-day Crete, and oxen have started being used in the Middle East to plow fields.

Not a lot is known about the Temple Builders who left behind some amazing structures that are some of - if not the - oldest standing structures in the world. Their structures - the oldest of which date to about 3600 BCE - predate more famous sites like Stonehenge (built around 3000 BCE) and the Pyramids (the oldest of which were built around 2600 BCE). What is known or believed to be known is that at some point around 2500 BCE, the Temple building people on Malta seem to have disappeared from the island, and there was a gap in time before excavations turned up evidence of the next people, thought to be entirely unrelated.

book recommendation about malta’s temple builders

With eons of building upon the island of Malta, it is a wonder that any remains exist from the early culture, but a remarkable number of temple sites, shards of pottery, and other remains help archaeologists uncover the lives of this ancient people. There is a lot we will never know since it is only through a modern lens that the sites can be viewed, but what is known can and does literally fill a book. While we were in Malta, we picked up Malta: Prehistory and Temples written by David H. Trump, a man who was intimately involved in the archaeology and had first-hand experience excavating some of its most astounding sites. You can check out our more in depth review of the book here.

sites to visit in malta from the temple builders era

National Museum of Archaeology (Valletta, Malta)- The museum is divided into three sections: Neolithic Era, Bronze Era, and the Phoenician Era. In addition to the history and evolution of the eras on Malta from its earliest known people, there were artifacts to represent each segment. These included pottery, jewelry, carved fertility women, actual Neolithic carved stones with patterns and designs from sites on the island (some of which we would visit and whose stones were moved inside for preservation purposes). Several famous items are housed here, such as the Sleeping Woman, discovered in the Neolithic underground Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum. Note that this museum cannot compete with big budget museums for showiness and bells and whistles but for those interested in the local archaeology and history and are more focused on the objects than fancy displays, you’ll find this enjoyable. If you plan on visiting any ancient history sites on your trip, this museum will provide helpful background. We spent and would recommend about 90 minutes here. Read more on our blog post here. Note: Gozo has a smaller Museum of Archaeology so if you’re looking for this spot online, ensure you have the one in Valletta.

Gozo Museum of Archaeology (Victoria, Gozo) - This smaller archaeology museum is worth 30 minutes when you visit the rest of Cittadella and has more Gozo-specific archaeology information to supplement the larger National Museum of Archaeology on the mainland.

Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum (Paola, Malta) - This underground, Neolithic burial chamber was one of the highlights of our trip and is an impressive spot even when considering the broader world. In fact, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. This site dates to 4000 BCE, which predates the Egyptian pyramids and Stonehenge, and it was in use for about 1500 years. Tickets sell out weeks or months in advance, particularly during peak season, and the number of visitors are very limited to help preserve the delicate site. The tour itself is about 45 minutes in length, and we described our experience and visit at great length in our other blog post here. Note that no photography is permitted inside.

Tarxien Temples (Tarxien, Malta) - Also a UNESCO World Heritage site, this above-ground site is less than a 5 minute walk through town from the hypogeum and has temples dating to 3600 BCE. With both a walkway around it for aerial views and a sense of the layout as well as the ability to walk down through and among the multi-apse structures, we ended up spending about an hour here. For those easily disappointed, it’s worth noting that some of the original carved blocks have been moved inside for protection (and are housed at the Valletta National Museum of Archaeology), so there are some rebuilt and recreated portions to the site.

Ġgantija Temples (Ġgantija, Gozo, Malta) - Located northeast from Victoria, the Neolithic Temples are a UNESCO World Heritage site. They date back to somewhere in the range of 3600-3200 BCE and are considered to be one of the oldest freestanding human-built monuments in the world (like other sites we saw on mainland Malta, they also predate the Pyramids and Stonehenge). They are also thought to be the oldest of all the Maltese temples. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to visit this site on our trip but have read extensively about it and would recommend it as a top temple site.

Other Archaeology-Focused Sites throughout Malta - Heritage Malta, the in-country tourism group, offers a complete list of all archaeology-related sites: from temples and standing stones to more recent catacombs. This is a great one-stop site to locate all Temple Era sites. View it here.

Malta in the Medieval and Renaissance Eras (from 500 CE to 1600 CE)

The walls of Valletta are impressive at any angle.

With history dating back so far, it isn’t clean-cut to consider Malta’s sites of archaeological interest by the definitive dates of history books. Many sites in Malta were used across this time period or were rebuilt and repurposed. The height of Maltese growth, expansion, and notoriety falls for the most part in the later Medieval and early Renaissance time periods, though of course there was a lot going on across this period of time. What propelled Malta from a typical community of the late Medieval Era to a powerhouse in the Mediterranean region can be dated to the year 1530. In that year, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V granted the island of Malta to the Knights of St. John after their loss on the island of Rhodes (in modern-day Greece) during a clash between the East and West, between the Ottoman Empire and Christian Europe.

Once domiciled on Malta, the Knights were responsible for building upon earlier fortifications in preparation for the battle with the Ottomans that they new would be inevitable. Many of the forts used, built, or expanded by the Knights are still in existence and can be visited today. The Ottomans took their time amassing the firepower, ships, and the will to travel to meet the Knights on their new turf. In 1551, the Ottomans attacked Malta’s smaller island of Gozo. At the time, Gozo’s population lived predominantly in the fortified city known as Cittadella, and the population was nearly wiped out during the invasion. About 300 citizens of Gozo escaped but the rest, a population of about 6,000 people, were taken by the Ottomans as slaves and shipped to Tripoli. For a small island in the 16th century, this was a large population; it took Gozo 150 years to repopulate itself to equal the population size prior to the Ottoman invasion of 1551.

In 1565, the next significant incursion of the Ottomans targeted the main island of Malta in what is today known as the Great Siege of Malta. Over a four month period, during Malta’s hot summer season, the Ottomans and Knights fought a grueling battle across various parts of the inland (Mdina) as well as largely focused in the Valletta and Birgu region where military forts dot the peninsulas. Today, you can also visit (as we did) Marsaxlokk Harbor, the spot where the Ottomans docked their ships during the siege. The significance of this battle militarily is that the smaller Knights of St. John force (about 6,000 people) and native Maltese (about 3,000 people) worked to defeat the exponentially larger Ottoman force of 35,000-40,000 people. The significance politically and religiously (though separating the two was not really possible in this time period) is that there was a real fear that the Ottomans would continue to gain ground and take over Christian Europe. Europe considered Malta to be a last stronghold to prevent the encroaching Ottomans, so the victory of the Knights of St. John potentially changed the course of history.

BOOK RECOMMENDATION ABOUT MALTA in the medieval and renaissance eras

As we typically do, we came up with a list of pre-reads on Malta’s history before we traveled there. Empires of the Sea: The Siege of Malta, The Battle of Lepanto, and the Contest for the Center of the World by Roger Crowley was the first book we read. It does a fantastic job of painting a picture of the flight of the Knights of St. John from Rhodes to Malta and brings the siege to life by leveraging existing first-person documents that left a detailed account. For our full review of this book, check out our dedicated post here.

sites to visit in malta from the medieval and renaissance eras

Fort St. Elmo (Valletta, Malta) - This was one of the spots we were very excited to see but disappointed to find it was unexpectedly closed for the entirety of our trip. At the head of the peninsula on which Valletta sits, this fort dates to the mid-16th century and played an important role during the Great Siege of Malta in 1565. It was also used for military purposes during World War II when Malta, part of the British empire at the time, played an important role in the wartime effort. Today, the fort also houses the National War Museum. We had planned to spend about 2 hours visiting based on our research.
St. George’s Square (Valletta, Malta) - This pretty, central square sits right in front of the next stop, The Grandmaster’s Palace, and is at one end of the more popular pedestrian area, near restaurants and other shops.
The Grandmaster’s Palace (Valletta, Malta) - This palatial building was the home for the head of the order of the knights and dates to 1571, after the siege ended. Our favorite part of the palace was the beautiful artwork painted on the walls within. There are detailed depictions of the battles with the Ottomans, telling the story of the key moments of the fight. Also housed in the palace today is the Armory Museum, which has the most extensive, intricate armor - everything from full armor to shields to headgear - that we have seen. We were surprised by the beauty and decoration on a lot of the armor and the different fashions and styles that evolved over the centuries and depending on the place of origin. Until visiting this museum, I had always assumed armor was entirely practical in nature. There are also many weapons - from a creative gunsword (yep, exactly what it sounds like) to miniature canons that can only be described as cute. Note that there are ongoing renovations so the palace closes periodically. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours for your visit, and be aware that the space is cooled by fans so can get quite warm. Read more on our blog here.
Triton Fountain, Victoria Gate, and Valletta city walls (Valletta, Malta) - Near the city gates, this immense fountain is worth passing by and is best seen at night when it is lit up. Nearby, you can see the ridiculously tall and thick city walls built to protect Valletta centuries ago. These are also lit up at night and make for a more stunning view than during the day. Read more on our blog here.
Upper Barrakka Gardens (Valletta, Malta) - Situated what is near the highest part of the city, this public park with gardens and statues and some food vendors, has this best view of the harbor and the peninsulas across the water. The park dates to 1661 when it was a private garden for the Knights of St. John. Read more on our blog here. We would recommend a walk from the Upper to Lower gardens along the waterfront to see some pretty streets and buildings. There is a sidewalk along the road making for a safe walk.
Fort St. Angelo (Birgu, Malta) - Across the Grand Harbor from Valletta, Fort St. Angelo is a compatriot to Fort St. Elmo, though dates even earlier to the 13th century. This fort was used during the Siege of Malta and again during World War II. Unfortunately, like Fort St. Elmo, Fort St. Angelo was closed unexpectedly during our visit. We had planned on spending 1-2 hours here.
Siccolo Norman House (Birgu, Malta) - This residence dates to the 13th century and is currently being lovingly restored by its owner. The owner is trusting and leaves the house open to the public for free (donations welcome). It doesn’t take more than 5-10 minutes to wander in and view the first floor before heading upstairs, but being inside a house that is about 800 years old is quite a worthwhile experience! A treacherous looking staircase descending to the basement is wisely cordoned off.
Birgu streets - If you wander up from the main square and just turn left and right as you desire, you will see some picturesque Medieval streets still alive with modern residents. You could easily spend an hour or so just wandering through the various streets, and it’s really impossible to get lost given how small the peninsula is.
Church of St. Lawrence (Birgu, Malta) - While closed during our visit, this church sits near the water and is worthy of a stop for its place in history. A prior church on this site dated back to the Norman era - as far back as the 11th century - and it was the site of the main church until it relocated to the current main cathedral of St. John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta.
Inquisitor’s Palace (Birgu, Malta) - Yes, from THE Inquisition. Today, this is the only Inquisitor’s Palace left open to the public in the world, and it was used during the Roman Inquisition (one of three Inquisitions, the Spanish being more familiar in popular culture). We spent a full two hours in the palace (and visitors could easily spend closer to 3 hours), where we toured the immense palace rooms, courtyard, kitchen, prison, torture room, and more. The upper levels of the Inquisitor’s Palace also include an ethnographic museum and other artifacts. Included in those spaces was an exhibit on the celebration of Christmas in Malta and the importance of “cribs” (manager scenes) and the craftsmanship and care that goes into them. There were also dioramas of crib scenes around the world. There was an exhibit that included miniaturized church altars by a local artist, an exhibit on the porcelain used in the Palace in its heyday, furniture and other artifacts and artwork, and original Inquisition documents as well as some select prisoner stories to accompany them.
Rabat - Visit St. Paul’s Catacombs, which date to the 3rd century, and St. Agatha’s Crypt and Catacombs, which have frescoes dating to the 12th century. Also in Rabat is St. Paul’s Church and Grotto, a cave said to be a spot where St. Paul preached while in Malta. There also other sites to see in that area, but those are the most noteworthy. Note: “Rabat” is the Arabic word for “suburb”. In this case, this area is the suburb to the city of Mdina. The island of Gozo in Mdina also has a Rabat, outside of the Cittadella, and also known as Victoria. This is important to be aware of as you look up sites so you are looking for those on the island of Malta proper.
Silent City of Mdina - Known as the “Silent City” after this former capital lost ground to Valletta and became a bit of a ghost town, Mdina is a beautiful example of a walled Medieval city. This site was populated as far back as 1000 BCE when it was inhabited by the Phoenicians. It is believed the current city formed in the Byzantine era in the 8th century. The walled city is only 0.3 square miles and is made up of a rabbit warren of streets winding this way and that. To best experience the city, let yourself get lost and wander wherever its roads take you. It’s too small for you to get lost. If your schedule permits, wander through the city during different times of the day. At dusk the city takes on different hues as the limestone walls react to the colors of the setting sun. After dark, you’ll find yourself convinced you have traveled back in time with minimal visitors out, spotty lantern light dotting parts of the streets and leaving other parts in darkness. The city is in fact still inhabited today with about 250 residents, so visitors are asked to keep noise volumes to a minimum.
Cathedral Museum (Mdina, Malta) - Affiliated with St. Paul’s Cathedral (below), we purchased a joint ticket for the museum and cathedral and spent about an hour and 15 minutes touring the museum. The first portion of the museum contained a significant array of church paraphernalia – silver chalices, reliquaries (several with the supposed bones of saints visible through glass), and some of the most massive silver pieces (larger than us) that I have ever seen. In the basement of the museum was an exhibit of sculptures by local artist Anton Agius (1933-2008), who primarily worked in found pieces of wood. They were beautiful, and the setting in the basement was well done – the curved supports for the building’s foundation in the style typical of Maltese buildings were visible, the sculptures were placed in these naturally occurring spots, and on either side of the walking path was gravel – it was truly like an underground stone garden for the art. Upstairs in the museum is a wing dedicated to Albrecht Durer (1471-1528), German Renaissance woodcut and print artist. Durer was a very influential artist of the Northern Renaissance, responsible for bringing popularity to the wood engraving and print art form and in other areas of the art world.
Victoria, Gozo’s Streets - In the center of Victoria is a rabbit warren of old Medieval streets that wind this way and that, have beautifully quaint townhouses, and have potted plant street gardens dotting the roads. This is worth wandering both during the day as well as at night, when it will feel like a wholly different experience. With the hushed quiet and lack of people at night, these old streets were both semi-creepy and also transported us back in time (at least in our imaginations). If you’re trying to find this spot on a map, look for the section of the city south of the Cittadella surrounded by 4-5 main streets (nestled between these streets: Id Dawwara Tomba and Triq Taħt Putirjal).
Cittadella (Victoria, Gozo) - This fortress city sits inland and up on a hill, a prime look-out spot for people to scan the surrounding countryside and hills. While today we can appreciate the 360 degree views from atop it for purely aesthetic reasons, it would have provided a sense of safety to earlier eras. Evidence dates human habitation on the site back to the Bronze Era with some less solid evidence suggesting Stone Age usage. The Cittadella currently on the spot dates to around the year 1500. One of its most significant historic moments was when it was attacked by the Ottomans in 1551 (fourteen years prior to the Siege of Malta on the larger island), and while 300 or so citizens escaped, the rest - a large group of 6,000 people - were taken by Ottomans as slaves and shipped to Tripoli. It took 150 years for Gozo to regain the population prior to the invasion, so its easy to see what a lasting impact this had on the island. Today, the Cittadella offers a lot of activities within its walls, so here are some spots within the Cittadella for you to visit. You do not need to purchase a ticket to enter Cittadella. The city itself is open for people to wander and in fact has a small number of residents still.

Malta in the Baroque Era (from 1600 CE to 1750 CE)

Saint Paul’s Cathedral in Mdina is one of many amazing religious temples you can visit in Malta.

Possibly the calm between the storms, this era in Malta was less world history heavy than other eras. The Roman Inquisition was active on the island during this period of time (starting before and ending after it). On the heels of the Baroque era, Malta started to get passed around among some of the largest empires of the era - first Napoleon and the French gained control and then Britain.

sites to visit in malta from the baroque era

St. John’s Co-Cathedral (Valletta, Malta) - This Baroque-style cathedral is beautiful and popular. Lines form early, and we’d recommend you line up first thing before it gets truly crowded. You’ll get an audio guide inside with your ticket, and it will provide you with information as you take your self-guided tour. Don’t miss the stairs in the back that take you up to a balcony from which you’ll have wonderful aerial views and for better viewing of the ceilings. The cathedral is closed to the public on Sundays and has only morning hours on Saturdays (as of this writing). Your best bet may be to tour it during the week. Check out our blog for more on this cathedral here. Note: like at all other churches in the country that we visited, conservative dress codes are followed. Shawls will be provided at the door for visitors baring too much skin. No high heels or short skirts/dresses allowed so dress accordingly.
St. Paul’s Cathedral (Mdina, Malta) - This cathedral sits in the rear of Mdina as the community church. It is absolutely worth a visit and is an example of a Baroque cathedral. Pay special attention to the two clocks out front. Only one has the correct time; the other is meant to confuse the devil as to what time the parishioners will gather. Like at St. John’s Co-Cathedral, conservative attire is required, and shawls will be required for those showing too much skin.
Inquisitor’s Palace (Birgu, Malta) - See description in section above.

Malta in the 20th Century: World War II

Winston Churchill watches the Upper Barrakka Garden.

Malta’s location in the Mediterranean has been pivotal in shaping its role in history. This was no different during World War II. Located just off the boot tip of Italy (which was fighting on the side of Germany) but part of the British empire, Malta provided the British a strategic stronghold in the region. In addition to its proximity to Italy, Malta is close to northern Africa, which was an important part of the war. The Maltese people underwent significant privations and had entire blocks of Medieval streets reduced to rubble by bombers from above. One difficulty of leveraging Malta for its strategic spot was the need for Britain to send weapons and basic supplies (food, medicine, etc.) to the island when the Italians and others were dead set on ensuring none of that arrived. Many supply ships were lost at sea during this time.

One of the most fascinating things to us is that during World War II, Malta repurposed many of their Medieval forts and fortifications for modern military needs and to serve as bomb shelters for its population. The ancient neolithic Hypogeum served as an underground play area for children (which was not kind to the structure).

BOOK RECOMMENDATION ABOUT MALTA in the 20th Century: World War II era

We read Churchill and Malta’s War, 1939-1943 by Douglas Austin after reading Empires of the Sea and would definitely recommend reading them in this chronological order. This non-fiction read provides a good overview for the militaristic importance of the island of Malta for the British empire (and her allies, including the US) as well as paints a picture of the trials and tribulations of the Maltese people. For our full review of this book, check out our dedicated post here.

sites to visit in malta from the World War II era

Fort St. Elmo (Valletta, Malta) - This was one of the spots we were very excited to see but disappointed to find it was unexpectedly closed for the entirety of our trip. At the head of the peninsula on which Valletta sits, this fort dates to the mid-16th century and played an important role during the Great Siege of Malta in 1565. It was also used for military purposes during World War II when Malta, part of the British empire at the time, played an important role in the wartime effort. Today, the fort also houses the National War Museum.
Lascaris War Rooms (Valletta, Malta) - These underground tunnels served as the top-secret military headquarters during World War II and can be toured today. We did not have time to visit this site during our trip, though we researched it with plans to visit.
Pjazza Teatru Rjal (Opera house ruins in Valletta, Malta) - Valletta’s opera house was built in the late 1800s, suffered a fire and was repaired, and then received a direct bombing during World War II, leaving it in ruins. In recent years, the ruins have been converted into an open-air performance site. It offers a number of free concerts, so you may wish to check this out during your visit. There were two free concerts there when we visited. One was more of a cover band, the other was a full orchestra and Maltese opera singer. We happened upon the latter during a night stroll and were able to climb up on the ruined walls to sit and listen to the beautiful music. Read more on our blog here.
Fort St. Angelo (Birgu, Malta) - Across the Grand Harbor from Valletta, Fort St. Angelo is a compatriot to Fort St. Elmo, though dates even earlier to the 13th century. This fort was used during the Siege of Malta and again during World War II. Unfortunately, like Fort St. Elmo, Fort St. Angelo was closed unexpectedly during our visit. We had planned on spending 1-2 hours here.
Cittadella (Victoria, Gozo) - This fortress city should mostly be toured for its Medieval history, but its walls also served as a bomb shelter during WWII.

What did we miss? What are some of your favorite history and archaeology focused sites in Malta? Share in the comments below!

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