Hypogeum of Ħal Saflieni
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How it came to be
The Hypogeum of Ħal Saflieni was cut into soft globigerina limestone beneath a hill in Paola, on Malta. Its chambers lie on three superimposed levels, the earliest at the top, and the lowest is 10.6 metres below the present ground. It served as a cemetery from about 4000 to 2500 BC and held some 7,000 individuals.
In 1902 workers cutting cisterns for a housing development broke through its roof by accident and at first tried to hide the find. Manuel Magri directed excavations from November 1903, but he died in Tunisia in 1907 and his report was lost. The site opened to visitors in 1908, and Themistocles Zammit dug on until 1911, depositing the finds at the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta.
From the Main Chamber came the Sleeping Lady, a clay figure thought to represent a mother goddess. The ceiling of the Oracle Room is painted in red ochre with spirals and spots. The site was inscribed in 1980, closed for restoration from 1991 to 2000, and is now limited to 80 visitors a day.
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