Portal:Malta/Selected picture
Selected pictures
These are
selected pictures related to Malta which appear on Portal:Malta
.
Photo credit: mxpule
The temple of garigue
and spectacular in its starkness and isolation, is designated a Heritage Park. 
Photo credit: Thoro
The Mnajdra temple grouping lies on the southern coast of Malta. It is a complex of three Neolithic temples surrounding an oval courtyard, the oldest having been built during the Ġgantija phase (3600-3200 BCE), while the other two date from the early and mid Tarxien phase (3150-2500 BCE). It has been stated by numerous historians that part of the Mnajdra Temples are the oldest free standing buildings in the world, much older than Stonehenge. 
Photo credit: Inkwina
St. Agatha's Tower in Mellieħa is similar in style to the Wignacourt towers, though it was completed in 1649 during the magistracy of Grand Master Giovanni Paolo Lascaris to a design by Antonio Garsin
. It is also known as the Red Tower due to the colour it is painted. 
Photo credit: Picman
2002 film, The Count of Monte Cristo starring Jim Caviezel, St Mary's Tower was used to represent the prison Château d'If
Photo credit: Jiří Boreš
Gozo is an island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea, second in size to the island of Malta. In Maltese, the island is called Għawdex (pronounced áw-desh). Gozo is part of the country of Malta. 
Pyramids of Egypt and Stonehenge
. The temples were possibly the site of an Earth Mother Goddess Fertility Cult, with numerous figurines and statues found on site believed to be connected with that cult. 
Photo credit: jkb
Maltese history. In general, most archaeologists presume that the site developed about 2000 BC after new settlers came over from Sicily to start the Bronze Age in Malta. Beside the megalithic temples it is the most mysterious artefact on Malta. It is reported that the name "Clapham Junction" was given by an Englishman, who later reported that it reminded him of the great and busy railway station Clapham Junction
in London. 
Photo credit: jkb
The Hypogeum in Ħal-Saflieni, Paola, Malta, is a subterranean structure excavated c. 2500 B.C. Thought to be originally a sanctuary, it became a necropolis in prehistoric times. It is the only prehistoric underground temple in the world. The Hypogeum was depicted on a 2 cents 5 mils stamp issued in the Maltese Islands in 1980 to commemorate the acceptance by UNESCO of this unique structure in the World Heritage Site
list. 
Photo credit: mxpule
medieval
town, with narrow quiet streets, situated in the centre of the island. It is also known as the "Silent City". It commands a magnificent view of the Island. 
Photo credit: jkb
The city of Mdina displays an unusual mix of Norman and Baroque architecture, including several palaces, most of which serve as private homes. 
Photo credit: Ies
The Lija Belvedere Tower, a beautiful piece of architecture and a landmark in Transfiguration Avenue in Lija, was built in 1857 as a folly within the garden of Villa Gourgion. Today the Belvedere is in the hands of the Lija Local Council and forms part of the heritage of Lija. Photo credit: Azhitsky
St Paul's Bay (San Pawl il-Baħar in Saint Paul, as documented in the Acts of the Apostles, due to the tradition that Saint Paul was shipwrecked on the isles, named St. Paul's Isles, which are situated in St Paul's Bay. The localities of Burmarrad, Qawra, Buġibba, Xemxija, Mselliet, and San Martin as well as part of Bidnija and Mistra
, form part of the San Pawl il-Baħar Local Council. The area of the locality is 14.47km². 
Photo credit: Philip Serracino Inglott
A typical Maltese farmhouse, called Razzett in Maltese. Typically the razzett was one or two storeys. The flat roofs are typical of Maltese housing. They serve many practical purposes, including: a place to hang and dry clothes; a place to spend a summer evening to catch the evening breeze; a place to watch fireworks displays from distant towns and villages; and for farmers, a place to let pumpkins mature. The roofs are also designed to catch rain water and to direct it to wells dug in the soft limestone. 
Photo credit: Väsk
The Lorenzo Gafa. By this time he had already designed several churches in Malta and was at the height of his career. The perfectly proportioned façade and the dynamic dome make this the most impressive of all his churches
. The work took just five years to complete and a number of houses were demolished at the same time to make way for a pjazza appropriate to the size and splendour of the church. 
Photo credit: Väsk
The old Maltese buses, which were converted ex-tourist attractions
among themselves due to their uniqueness, and are depicted on many Maltese advertisements to promote tourism as well as on gifts and merchandise for tourists. However, these old buses are slowly being replaced by a more modern fleet. 
Photo credit: jkb
The old Maltese buses, which were converted ex-tourist attractions
among themselves due to their uniqueness, and are depicted on many Maltese advertisements to promote tourism as well as on gifts and merchandise for tourists. However, these old buses are slowly being replaced by a more modern fleet. 
Photo credit: Väsk
The traditional Grand Master's Palace, which were in place by 1741
. 
Photo credit: jkb
A bow is normally pointed with a pair of eyes. These eyes may be the modern survival of an ancient Phoenician custom (also practiced by the ancient Greeks); they are sometimes (and probably inaccurately) referred to as the Eye of Horus or of Osiris
. 
Photo credit: Jean-Christophe Benoist
The Grandmaster's Palace in Valletta is built around two courtyards, one of which is dominated by a statue of Neptune. There are two entrances in the front and one entrance from Piazza Regina just west of the Bibliotheca. The entrance to the state rooms is in the Neptune Courtyard via a spiral staircase. The ceiling of this entrance was painted by Nicolau Nasoni da Siena in 1724
. 
Photo credit: Maltesedog
Republic Street is the heart of the Maltese nation. People meet, shop, discuss and visit this pedestrianized street whenever they are in Museums
and historical attractions, including churches and palaces add to the uniqueness of Republic Street. 
Photo credit: Jean-Christophe Benoist
St John
. 
Photo credit: Philip Serracino Inglott
The Nicolas Cotoner to guard this part of Gozo from the warships of the Turks who at that time sailed between Gozo and Sicily. The tower is unique in its kind in Gozo. It resisted the incursions of the French troops
on 10th June 1798, who landed on this part to capture Gozo. 
Photo credit: jkb
The earliest temple of the Tarxien complex, dates back to around 2,800 BC while the more recent ones date to seven hundred years later. The spiral, as a decorative motif, is found in many places in Europe from the North Atlantic seaboard to the Aegean; the ones at Tarxien, however, might have been invented, or at least developed, independently. Inside these temples has been found what, for that age, was the most colossal stone sculpture then in existence: originally two-and-a-half metres in height, the statue, presumably representing a Mother Goddess, has been broken in half and the top part is missing. 
Photo credit: Jean-Christophe Benoist
The Pantheon in Rome. The building started in May 1833 and was not finished until the 1930s. The original church was left in place while the Rotunda was built around it allowing the local people to still have a place of worship while the new church was built. On April 9, 1942, during an afternoon air-raid, a 200kg Luftwaffe
bomb pierced the dome (two others bounced off) and fell among the congregation of more than 300 people, awaiting early evening mass. It did not explode. Its replica is now on display inside the Rotunda. Photo credit: Memecry
The Mediterranean Theatre of World War II that occurred between 1940 and 1943 on the island of Malta
. The siege was conducted by Italian and German (Axis) military aircraft and ships. Malta was one of the most intensively-bombed areas during war – a total of 3,000 raids occurred during the two years of the siege. The Siege Bell Memorial was constructed to commemorate the victory of the Allied forces in this siege. 
Photo credit: William Shewring
Xaghra, located on one of the hills of Gozo, overlooks this valley. The Bay can also be reached from the village of Nadur
. The terraced walls built by the farmers give the valley an appearance of a quilt when viewed from the high ridges surrounding this valley. 
Photo credit: jkb
March 31, 1979 is remembered in the Maltese calendar as Freedom Day (Maltese: Jum il-Ħelsien). This is the anniversary of the withdrawal of British troops and the Royal Navy from Malta. The government of the day alleged that the military base was closed after the United Kingdom refused to pay the emphyteusis due to Malta in 1979; however, the contract between Malta and the United Kingdom was due for termination on April 1, 1979. 
Photo credit: Jean-Christophe Benoist
The Maltese Islands which dates back approximately 7,400 years. Remains of earlier Ice Age animals have also been excavated and presented in the nearby museum. The cave had an important role in World War II
, when it was used first as an air-raid shelter before being used as a fuel depot. 
Work of art created by
. The most important painting that Caravaggio made in Malta, it is one of Caravaggio's most extraordinary creations, and many people consider it is his greatest masterpiece. Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio
Photo credit: MalteseKnight
The Azure Window, a table-like rock over the sea, is one of the most photographed vistas of the Maltese Islands, and its particularly spectacular during winter when waves crash high inside the arch. The Inland Sea, and Dwejra Bay itself, were created millions of years ago when two limestone caves collapsed. 
Photo credit: Philip Serracino Inglott
The World Wars
it served as an Observation Post. This tower was recently restored.