● The Ggantija Temples are the most popular heritage site in Malta, and a lot of work has gone into restoring their structural integrity

The site now offers an enhanced visitor experience thanks to a direct investment of €200,000 by the Vodafone Malta Foundation. The Vodafone Ggantija Project has consisted of incorporating two new lightweight walkways which will now take visitors straight into the heart of the temples. The project also includes an interactive digital and virtual tour of Ggantija. The Temples have also been decked out with an environmental monitoring station which measures exposure to environmental elements and the site has been made safer with the installation of a remote security system. The number of visitors to Ggantija in 2010 reached 142,483 and in the first four months of 2011 Ggantija had the highest visitor numbers for all Heritage Malta sites, amounting to 44,436.

The Walkway

Thanks to the construction of two walkways inside Ggantija, visitors will have full access to the temples. This structure protects the original prehistoric floors while providing visitors with better visibility. A number of interpretation panels are incorporated in the railing design so that one has a better understanding of the prehistoric temples and an appreciation of the complex. The walkway also sports LED lighting for safe movement of visitors as well as to light up the temple structure at night.

Another element which will further enhance the visitors’ experience is the Vodafone Ggantija Interactive DVD-ROM which is a digitised version of the site with impressive 360 degrees photography. Images are accompanied by an audio interpretation where archaeology experts give visitors detailed descriptions and interpretations of each of the areas of this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

While highlighting the importance of this unique heritage site that represents one of the main historical attractions on Gozo, Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono explained that the Vodafone Ggantija Project will continue to strengthen the government’s endeavours to restore and conserve Gozo’s rich cultural heritage. Another project which the Ministry for Gozo intends to implement through the ERDF programme relates to a conservation plan and the founding of the Ggantija Archaeological Park that will include an equipped Visitors’ Centre allowing for a collection of prehistoric remains to be permanently exhibited close to where such remains were found. “Our historical heritage has never been given as much attention as it is being given today,” she said as she referred to other projects, including the implementation of some of the proposals in the Cittadella Masterplan which will have a direct impact on Heritage Malta’s operations of the museums managed within the Citadel.

Public-Private Partnership

Parliamentary Secretary Mario De Marco said that our heritage is so important that it places on each one of us a responsibility towards present and future generations. “This is a responsibility which not only the public sector through Heritage Malta is committed to, but we are today witnessing the private sector’s commitment towards our heritage.” He added that a number of Heritage Malta’s projects are also being realised thanks to EU capital funds. These include the Ggantija Visitor Centre, together with a technical study and landscaping of the same temple area.

Heritage Malta has been reaching out for active synergies with various entities to help in the continuous effort of supervising, preserving, understanding better and ultimately marketing Malta’s historic sites. The Vodafone Malta Foundation has been a collaborator for a number of years, allocating funds for the conservation of heritage sites and other ventures.

Balesh Sharma, chief executive officer of Vodafone Malta said: “We understand that the preservation of historic sites such as Ggantija is extremely costly. Vodafone is proud to be a main contributor to Maltese heritage and through our Foundation we make efforts to contribute back to the community we operate in. We want to make sure that the Maltese and Gozitans benefit from our commercial presence here.” Since its very beginning the Foundation has donated more than €2 million to local causes across Malta and Gozo.

The Ggantija temples were erected around 3500BC and are reputed to be among the very first free standing structures in the world. It has survived extraordinary well, its walls in places still standing to a height of seven metres. There are two adjacent temples, the southern one on the left having had part of its wall removed to allow the northern one to be built up against it.