From Mr J. S. Ellul

I am writing this article to show to those interested in archaeology that the Hagar Qim complex of temples is a complete calendar of the solar and lunar cycles. The lunar cycle takes nearly 18 years to complete and one wonders how those supposedly primitive people managed to study, locate and also align their temples along these geographical lines.

As to the lunar alignments, all, I repeat all the main temples in Malta and Gozo are aligned towards the major standstill of the moon. It seems that the moon was their most important god. They knew that the moon had a cycle of 28 days, which they divided into four parts with seven statues for each part.

Their Number 7 was a sacred number. They had seven chapels in the temple of Hagar Qim, seven altars for seven statuettes, seven rope holes where to tie the seven animals ready for sacrifice, and also seven water tanks or wells for water at the Misqa reservoir at the top of the hill. It is a very strange fact that in a place where the rocks have very unusual qualities, one finds a place for seven walls dug in the solid rock that is unbroken and not porous in one solid whole block. One cannot find a place like that in the whole of Malta. In my opinion it was a UFO miracle. You may believe it or not, if you like.

As to the alignments, Hagar Qim has its two main doors aligned towards the major standstill of the moon – the front one towards the rising of the summer standstill, and the back door towards the winter standstill setting.

At Mnajdra, the upper temple is aligned towards the summer standstill. The lower building of Mnajdra was not a temple. It has no signs of sacrificial fires. It was a palace for the family of the high priest, with a sleeping room with a three-tier bunk and a baby crib where the skeleton of a baby was found.

At Tarxien, the middle temple was aligned towards the major standstill setting of the moon in summer. And at Ggantija both temples are aligned towards the rising of the moon in summer.

This is with regard to the moon. But at Hagar Qim there are the other different solar alignments.

Hagar Qim is also aligned towards all the solar positions. At Hagar Qim, both solstices are seen from the high chapel to which one goes up by three modern steps that have been put in place, instead of three large stone slabs, nine feet long and two feet wide, nine inches high, which were broken when the upper stones fell on them. They were removed to resettle them properly. But orders came from above to cut them into small pieces and place them outside the temple. It was a pity, but orders were orders.

From this chapel, looking exactly through the middle of its doorway, on 21 June one can see the sun setting on top of the hill l-Gholja tas Sslib exactly in the middle of the doorway.

From the same place, in the opposite direction, one can observe the sun rising at the winter solstice on 21 December. But the window through which one could see, was closed with concrete in the 1950s, as it was thought that the stones forming the gap were just broken, so it was filled with concrete.

As to the Equinox, the western side of the second temple, which faces the west, was opened to join the next third temple and faced the direct west for the Equinox. But this doorway was destroyed by the western wave.

This shows that Hagar Qim is a solar yearly calendar and a lunar calendar that has a cycle of about 18 years.

Joseph S. Ellul

Member, Ancient Astronaut Society

USA