Thousands upon thousands of years ago, humans skillfully crafted a giant subterranean structure beneath a hill in Malta, close to the Grand Harbour of Valletta. Though it later became a cemetery, its original function, size, and method of construction remain shrouded in mystery.
Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum is a unique underground burial complex on the island of Malta that covers 500 square meters (5,381 square feet). It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980, owing to its “Outstanding Universal Value”.
Like all good discoveries, it was stumbled upon by accident. In 1902, a stone mason was laying the foundations for a set of houses, Heritage Malta notes, and inadvertently smashed through the Hypogeum’s roof.
Unfortunately, the construction work had already destroyed much of the upper level of the monument – but unbeknownst to the modern world, more lay hidden beneath the surface.
Towards the end of 1903, the site was transferred to public ownership and excavation work continued until 1911. These digs eventually revealed the site originally had three levels: an upper (largely destroyed) level, a middle level, and a lower level.
It’s essentially a human-made labyrinth of chambers, corridors, and nooks carved out of soft globigerina limestone. These features aren’t simply rough dugouts either; much of the structure displays impressive craftsmanship and finely cut stonework. Numerous circular pits and open areas are scattered throughout the complex, thought to have been used for worship or ceremonial purposes.
A study in 2020 argued that the site was deliberately designed to enhance specific acoustic properties. The frequency spectrum appears to be fine-tuned across multiple chambers, with evenly spaced peak frequencies resembling a musical whole-tone scale. If true, that would make Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum one of the earliest known examples of a human-made structure that was made with music and acoustics in mind.
Among the subterranean labyrinth, a collection of ancient relics was found by archeologists, including pottery, personal ornaments, small carved animals, and larger figurines. One of the most stunning artifacts unearthed here is a clay sculpture covered in traces of red ochre pigment known as “The Sleeping Lady” (pictured below). Some believe the figure might depict “mother nature,” although others have interpreted it as a symbol of death.
The Sleeping Lady: A depiction of life-giving nature or the eternal sleep of death?
Image credit: pio3/Shutterstock.com
Oh, and did we forget to mention the structure also once held the skeletal remains of 7,000 people? Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum was used as a cemetery throughout multiple periods of Maltese Prehistory, spanning from around 4000 BCE to 2500 BCE. However, this may not have been its original purpose – according to UNESCO, it perhaps first served as a sanctuary-like structure before being repurposed for the burial of human remains.
Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum is a truly one-of-a-kind place, although the Maltese Islands are no stranger to stunning structures from a distant time. Across Malta and the neighboring island of Gozo, there are seven megalithic temples.
The abundance of prehistoric monuments here may be linked to the land’s rich limestone, which offers the perfect medium for crafting megalithic structures. Furthermore, its strategic position in the Mediterranean Sea likely played a role – connected enough to exchange technologies and styles with neighboring cultures, yet sufficiently isolated to nurture a distinct and unique society.
