Heritage Malta is once again organising a guided tour of the Mnajdra Temples on 19, 20 and 21 March to mark the spring equinox.

The unique setting of the Mnajdra Temples at Qrendi, overlooking the sea, gives them a special charm not to be found in any other of the large-scale megalithic buildings of the Maltese Islands.

In a bid to provide an enhanced experience to visitors, only 50 people per day will be allowed access to the temples during this special guided tour.

Sunrise on the first day of each season underlines the relationship between the temples and celestial bodies. Although it is not known for certain whether these orientations were intentional, they are so systematic that this is very probable. In prehistoric agricultural societies, observation of the movement of the stars, the moon and sun could have been related to the changing seasons and times for planting and harvesting crops.

On these three days, visitors to the temples will marvel at sunrise, as the sun’s rays will shine through the exact centre of the main doorway to the South Temple.

A limited number of tickets for each Mnajdra tour are selling for EUR12 (Lm5.15) for the general public and EUR8 (Lm3.43) for Heritage Malta members and are strictly on a first come, first served basis. Those interested should purchase their tickets from any Heritage Malta site, including the head office in Old University Buildings, Merchants Street, Valletta, by not later than Tuesday. Please telephone 2295 4000 with any queries.

These tours have been made possible despite the ongoing work at the Hagar Qim and Mnajdra Temples to install the two temporary shelters at the sites.

The tours start at around 5.30am from the main gate of Hagar Qim Temple.

More information about activities organised by Heritage Malta are available on http://www.heritagemalta.org