Malta

Aerial view of the Mnajdra Temple complex, c.3600-3200 BC, Malta, pictured on June 5, 2008, in the morning. The Republic of Malta consists of seven islands in the Mediterranean Sea of which Malta, Gozo and Comino have been inhabited since c.5, 200 BC. It has been ruled by Phoenicians (Malat is Punic for safe haven), Greeks, Romans, Fatimids, Sicilians, Knights of St John, French and the British, from whom it became independent in 1964. Nine of Malta's important historical monuments are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the well preserved Mnajdra Temple complex. Spectacularly sited on the Southern coast of Malta the three temples radiate from an oval forecourt. The lower temple is astronomically aligned so that the sun's rays shine straight through the doorway on the equinoxes. Picture by Manuel Cohen

Picture No

13448655

Media ID

45392303

Size

4992px x 3328px (7.3MB)

Credit

Manuel Cohen / Mary Evans

Source

Photograph by Manuel Cohen